Just Keep Swimming
by meenajon
Summary: Something in a dream makes Elena want to swim. What happens when Stefan is unavailable and Damon offers to help? Rating changed to 'M' because of Dalena hotness.
1. Chapter 1

New story. Just gotta love these four o'clock in the morning dreams o'mine. Let me know what you guys think please, by pushing that little purply-blue review button, eh? See you on the flip side.

- M.

* * *

"I want to go swimming." Elena knew that it was warm enough, and sunny enough. But she was restless. Her aunt looked at her funny, then shrugged.

"If you can find someone to open up and clean the pool, be my guest," she replied. "I've got to work all day."

Elena smiled. "I really want to swim at night. All nice and peaceful, maybe turn on the pool lights? There's supposed to be a full moon tonight." She turned to her brother, who threw up both his own hands.

"Don't look at me, Elena. Why should I do something that doesn't benefit me?" Typical brother. Elena rolled her eyes and just sat there, her fork pushing through her food as her mind worked.

"Nevermind. I'm sure I can get Stefan to help."

* * *

Later that afternoon:

"I can't, Elena. I have to help Mrs. Flowers with some repairs on the house. If I hadn't already promised her, I do it for you."

"Do what for you?" Elena started as Damon spoke from behind her. His eyebrow raised to the heavens as he looked at her as a hunter does its prey. If it weren't for the fact that she knew he'd never really hurt her, she'd have been scared stiff by now.

"Clean out the pool so I can go for a swim. I need it done quickly, and I can't do it alone," she replied. The look on Damon's face was priceless. "Why don't you hire someone," he said. Elena laughed aloud. "Do I look like I can afford it?" She sighed, resigned to the fact that she likely wouldn't get what she wanted in time for the full moon tonight. As if hearing her thoughts, Damon nodded. "Ah, it's a full moon. You want to swim under the moonlight. I get it."

Stefan watched the exchange closely. Damon was up to something. He didn't know what, but telling by the change in his brother's demeanor, he knew Damon would suddenly agree to do it. As if on cue....

"Okay. Fine. What do I get out of it?" Damon questioned. He leaned against the side of the boarding house, the arms of his leather jacket crinkling with his movements. He had affected the perfect pose, seemingly uninterested in the world. Elena was used to it.

"I don't know. I guess you could go swimming, too," she replied. There went Damon's eyebrow again. As if he could be bothered to go swimming.

"Nevermind. I'll do it out of the kindness of my heart." Stefan looked at his brother, wondering just what was he up to. Damon felt the weight of his brother's gaze and rolled his eyes. "Don't worry, little brother. Your girlfriend's safe with me." Damon turned and followed Elena to her car, making sure to wink at Stefan as he slid effortlessly into the passenger seat. "Let's go."

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me. This is what I have to help clean up?" Damon looked at the pool in disgust and at Elena in disdain. "When was the last time this thing was tended to?" The pool had been covered up when he arrived, and as he removed it he was greeted with a pile of leaves hidden in the green algae of the pool water. There was even a dead animal somewhere within. His sensitive nose smelled its rotting corpse.

"Well, we didn't use it last year at all. So, likely two years," Elena replied. Truth be told, she hadn't a clue. Something inside her had sparked this humongous urge to go swimming in the moonlight. It was so strong she could taste it. She heard Jeremy open the patio door. "More like three, I think," he answered. Jeremy made a disgusted noise in his throat before continuing. "The last time it was used was my 15th birthday party. Remember when Peter Hilland thought he was drowning, and was only in three feet of water? It was hilarious when he finally put his feet to the bottom. Don't think I've ever seen a guy turn that red before." Elena nodded as Jeremy sipped on his can of soda. He took a tour of the pool then patted Damon on the shoulder as he started for the patio door again. "Good luck, man. You're going to need it."

Damon gave him a pained smile and fought the urge to give him the finger. It was his own fault that he'd agreed to do this before ever looking at the place. "So, is your brother going to be home all day?" he asked. Slowly he began to use a skiff to pull out some of the leaves while he talked to Elena. "You know, this would be a lot easier and a LOT faster if no one was home."

Elena nodded. She knew he was right. "Well.... I guess I could take him to the grocery store or something," she shrugged. "Would that help?"

"Immensely," he replied sarcastically. "What is the reason you want to go swimming? I mean, you couldn't wait a week or two?" Damon watched her out of the corner of his eye as he moved around the pool. She began to stare off into space before answering him. "No. I've just got this...urge...to go swimming tonight. Like I said, offer still stands," she replied. Suddenly her eyes gained focus and she continued. "Right. I'll go get Jeremy and head to the store. Will an hour do it?"

Damon smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yes. I should be finished in an hour. Go on." He waved her away and she took the cue. It would teach him to leap before looking. The one thing he couldn't rush was water, so he dropped the skiff and walked over to turn the pump onto drain while hooking up a large hose to clean the bottom of the pool. By night's end, if she turned the pool's heater on while it was filling up, she would have a nice, warm swim. The sound of car doors closing was his starting point as he kicked into vampire overdrive and attacked the job ahead of him.

* * *

"This is....wow. Thank you, Damon." Without thinking, Elena reached over and hugged him. He patted her on the back and she slowly let go, realizing what she'd done. "Sorry."

"No need. There seems to be something in the air today," he replied. It was how he felt. Something, indeed, was going on around them, but he couldn't taste the flavor on the wind. Just for precaution's sake, he asked her a few questions. "Is Jeremy going to use the pool, too?"

Elena turned and looked at him. "While it's his right to do so, I want to swim alone tonight - provided you don't come swimming, too." Her eyes never quite met his. She didn't exactly want him to swim with her, thinking it might be a little uncomfortable.

Damon's eyes narrowed again. "And Stefan can't come?" he asked. Elena shook her head in response. "Well, then, I just might stop by. Just to make sure everything's all right. When does your aunt come home?"

"What are you not saying, Damon?" She looked at him thoughtfully. He sensed something. She knew it. "Never mind. Just come tonight. I'm sure everything will be uneventful. My aunt will be home in another week." Elena turned and headed for the door. "Do you need a ride home?"

Shaking his head, Damon still wasn't convinced about the powers that be. "No, I'm fine. I need to go hunting. See you tonight."

And he was gone, leaving Elena to stare after him.

* * *

Elena suddenly wished her aunt hadn't gone out of town for work that day. At least then Jeremy would have listened to authority. As far as he was concerned, Elena was in charge of nothing.

"Hey, it's a free country, sis," he yelled from the far side of the pool. "Come on in." It wouldn't have really bothered her if it had just been her brother. But as Elena looked around, she recognized almost all of the twelve other faces in and around the pristine water that Damon had prepared for her enjoyment. The Gaines twins, looking every bit like James VanDerBeek, waved at her from the deep end, their skeevy smiles fully in place. She gave a tiny wave back, not wanting to be rude. To her left were the Angelos, brother and sister about three years apart. It looked like Jeremy had invited most of the neighborhood.

Shrugging, she walked over to one of the lounge chairs. The light was starting to fade from the sky at the same time the moon had begun rising. The stars in the clear sky began to twinkle light diamonds, and Elena thought that aside from the overabundance of people in her private abode, it would have been magic. She slipped out of her white towel to reveal the light turquoise colored one piece she had worn outside and used a tie to pull her hair back into a loose bun.

The water was just this side of cool when she started down the stairs. Oblivious to those around her, she acclimated to the water quickly as the goosebumps faded the closer she got to the deep end. It was warmer there, the heater for the pool located nearer to the far wall where the pool's lights rotated in shades of green, purple, yellow, pink and blue. As she glided through the water, she sensed the twins moving toward her, briefly glimpsing their heads going under the water as they moved like sharks after prey. Her back hit the wall and she realized they had her cornered.

"Great." But someone else was faster. Moving with his typical blinding speed, Damon managed to swim through the water and past the two teenagers, popping up right in front of Elena. She gasped, catching her breath as Damon turned around and gave the boys a smile with menace underneath it. "Sorry, boys," he said. "Better luck next time."

The twins looked chagrined, but took the hint and swam away. Damon turned around and through his wading had effectively moved Elena into a corner. She was trying to keep some distance between them, apparently. His smile widened and his eyes twinkled. "What would my dear brother think of this?" Mischief lined his features.

"Damon...thanks. Thanks for that...for this," she replied, ignoring the topic of Stefan altogether. Damon had saved her from embarrassment, had made her swim possible. The moon and the stars called to her, and she managed to block out everything but the man swimming before her and the light shining upon the surface of the water. They stayed like that for who knew how long - Elena looking up at the sky, Damon watching her and keeping tabs on all of those around them.

He thought about how Elena reminded him of Katherine. But there were subtle differences, apparent only if you watched Elena closely. The way she chewed her bottom lip when she was nervous. The fact that she actually cared about him, even though Damon had given her absolutely no reason to. He'd been rude and often cruel, where she and Stefan were concerned. His hands went up on both sides of her, gripping the concrete lip of the pool to steady himself. It got her attention.

"Damon, what...." she stopped. There was a look in his eyes, almost a longing. She didn't have time to respond, to speak, to even think as he darted in and kissed her. Bells were going off in her head telling her to stop it. Her palm went up to his chest to push him away, but as her fingers found skin she felt herself giving into the kiss, wrapping her legs around his as she tried to stay afloat.

"What the hell is going on here?" Stefan said coldly, anger flaring with each word. It broke the magic, Damon looking at his brother like he was a fly buzzing about. Elena fought to catch her breath as she looked around Damon, realizing suddenly that everyone had gone. They had been out there that long.

"Stefan...I...." But she didn't have time to finish the thought as Stefan grabbed Damon, ripping him out of the water. Elena felt her head hit the concrete wall behind her, and everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

"Elena. Elena...wake up." A voice echoed, reverberating through her mind. Somewhere, somehow, she knew it. But she wasn't there yet - not fully aware. "Elena...honey...I'm here now. Come on. You can do it. Yes, there you go, come back to us now." Warm, deep, a voice that made her smile. She started to lift her head, only to feel excruciating pain and lay it back down again.

"St-Stefan?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper. But he heard it. Stefan looked over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as they bored two holes into his brother, standing there looking aloof again. His attention quickly turned back to her as she started coughing, spitting up some of the water from her lungs that she swallowed from the pool.

"Take it easy, honey. One step at a time." Yes, that's Stefan's voice, she thought. Her head ached so bad. So much so that she had yet to remember how she'd gotten there in the first place.

"Elena, time to wake up. Wouldn't want Stefan to have a heart attack...if that were even possible...." Damon's voice trailed off into the air around them. He stood, watching the quaint little scene before him. Elena and her hero. Sometimes his brother made him want to retch. Crossing his arms, Damon looked anywhere but at the two figures below him, concentrating on a piece of lint on the sleeve of his dark shirt that he'd slipped on once he was out of the pool. "I think she'll be fine, Stefan. You know how these things go."

"How these things go?!?" Stefan had to catch himself before he dropped Elena's head on the concrete. "You were supposed to help her, not take advantage of her!" He just wished he could do more at that moment than yell at his older brother. He wanted nothing more than to rip Damon's head off, but Elena was his priority. She had to be.

Damon looked at Stefan like he was off his rocker. "If you remember, brother dear, YOU'RE the one that pulled me so forcefully out of the water that you knocked her out. Right? Oh, or can you not face up to the fact that you injured, once again, your precious Elena." His blue eyes glowed with an anger all their own. He'd been in a good place with Elena. He'd done good things today, and his brother's flying off the handle nearly wiped all of it out in one stroke.

"Would you two shut the hell up, or I'll smack you both. My sister could have a lot more than a concussion, and you two are bickering like little....oh hell. I don't know anymore," Jeremy griped. He walked past Damon, nearly running him over as he glared at Stefan.

"You guys are all making my head hurt. Oh..." Elena was coming to. She slowly and carefully opened her eyes to see bright and twinkling stars still abover her head, then the anxious faces of Jeremy and Stefan suddenly blocked her field of vision. "What? What happened?"

"See, I told you. Definite head injury," Jeremy verbally confirmed. Curious, Damon slowly walked up behind them to check the situation out for himself.

"Elena, what day is it?" Damon asked. He noted the confusion on her face, her brow furrowing, the increase in her heartbeat. "It's Tuesday night, the 22nd of May," she replied. _Okay,_ he thought. _She'd gotten that one right_. Satisfied for now, he leaned back out of her space again. "She'll be fine. Maybe you shouldn't fly off the handle like that again, brother."

Elena looked from one Salvatore to the other, then felt the back of her head. There was an egg-sized knot at the base of her skull. Realization crossed her features, and she pushed Stefan's hand off of her, allowing herself to sit up without assistance. First she got her bearings, then she lit into them both.

"Oh no you don't. You both did this. First, you..." she began, laying into Damon. "you took advantage of a situation that I trusted you in. Thanks, but no thanks. And you..." she continued, turning her attention to Stefan. "You should have asked me first, or at least waited until I got out of the way before you two started a fight. Now, get out."

Jeremy reached down to help his sister up. Stefan wore a pained look as he watched her walk indoors, leaving him behind. Damon performed his aloof best, shrugging as he turned and walked toward the back gate. "Brother?" he called out, not really expecting to be followed as he walked off into the dark once again.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Believe it or not, this update was longer. But my 2 year old hit esc on the keyboard and erased everything. I tried my best to write it the same way, but it didn't have the right feel. So I started again from scratch and I must say, I like this one a little better. Hope you enjoy it, and I'll be updating again soon enough. Toodles! - M.**_

* * *

For a second, Jeremy took his eyes off the road to look at her. Elena sensed it, but wasn't in the mood to validate his concern. Her head was pounding, the knot having grown larger in the last six hours she'd been stuck with her brother in the emergency room. She had to threaten to sign out AMA just so the doctor would let her go before sunrise. Doing her best to think of nothing in particular, she leaned her forehead against the cool glass of the passenger window and looked up to the sky above. Clouds were rolling in, covering up the beautiful night sky that had twinkled above her before the night had been ruined. But who, in reality, had ruined it?

"We're almost home," her brother said, turning back to the road before him. "I'll wake you up every three hours, just like the doc said." Elena only nodded, closing her eyes to fight the nausea that was still present every time she moved her head. By all rights she should still be at the hospital, admitted for observation.

"Good. I'm going straight to bed," she answered. A short time later, the bump of the car making its way from asphalt road to concrete driveway let her know it was time to open her eyes again. Jeremy hurried around the car to open the door for her. She almost told him where he could shove it, but the extra second it took her to steady herself as another wave of nausea hit made her change her mind. Instead she took his outstretched hand and got out, but walked by herself to the front door. Losing so many people so recently had certainly affected him more than she'd thought.

"Hey, Elena. I'm hungry, do you want me to bring anything up?" Jeremy asked as he started for the kitchen. "No," she replied. "I'm just going to climb into bed and get to sleep. I'll let you know if I want anything."

Jeremy shook his head and smiled. "Suit yourself, stubborn." He walked into the kitchen and let the door shut behind him. Elena began taking the stairs one at a time, her toes padding silently across the soft carpet. As she shut the door to her room quietly, her clothes dropped where they were: first her shirt, then her jeans. She was so tired she didn't even bother with pajamas, opting to slide between the cool sheets clad only in bra and panties. She hoped that sleep came quickly to her.

"Are you okay?" Apparently not soon enough. It was then she felt the cool breeze coming through her open window, the sun not quite hitting the sill. Dawn had begun to rear its for once ugly head. Elena pulled a pillow out from under her head and screamed into it before opening her eyes. "Hey, it wasn't all that bad, Elena," Damon continued.

"Not all that bad? Do you think you did nothing wrong, Damon? Nothing at all?" she said in exasperation as she finally looked over to him. He'd come in through the window, obviously, and who knew how long he'd been waiting there for her. He once again wore all black, his leather jacket left open so it didn't pull as he leaned casually against her tall dresser, watching her. No expression crossed his features save his eyes, the tense crystalline blue sharper than usual.

"Remember that it was my brother you gave you that concussion, Elena. Not me."

She sighed, her head beginning to throb with the effort not to yell - which would only bring Jeremy running up the stairs and then a whole lot of explaining would ensue. "Damon, you took advantage of a situation you had no business taking advantage of. Thanks, but you knew better."

He smiled, that little smirk that said he knew he'd gotten you. "Yes, I do recall rescuing you from the hormonal twins, AND helping you out by cleaning the pool. But you liked it. Come on, admit it. You did." Damon stood there a minute, watching her. Rather than add fuel to an already climbing fire, she turned over on one side and closed her eyes again, fighting the throbbing headache.

"Go away Damon. All I want right now is to go to sleep." She thought he'd gone, but the sudden added weight next to her on the bed told her otherwise. She rolled back over to face him, only to find his eyes inches from hers. They were staring at her intently, boring holes in hers. But she wasn't going to flinch; wasn't going to back down. This was her bedroom in her house; her territory. And she would be damned if he was going to take that away from her. She crossed her arms in front of her and made a flicking motion with one wrist, indicating he should leave.

But that only brought him closer. She knew her heart was racing - could feel her pulse pounding in her own ears. Damon leaned directly over her so that she could feel his cool breath on her auricle as he spoke. It was a tiny little whisper. "Admit it. Admit that you enjoyed it, and I'll leave," he said. Elena knew he had her trapped, and the smile on his face as he pulled away to await her response told him he knew it, too. She hated playing games, and Damon was a master.

"Fine. Now leave. I'm going to sleep," she said as she laid her head back on her pillows again.

"Uh-uh-uh. I said admit it, Elena, or I'm here until you do. Admit that you liked kissing me, and that you liked the way your body responded to it. Vampires can wait for a long time, you know," he said matter-of-factly. The grin on his face only grew as he waited.

Elena sighed and gritted through her teeth, but she managed to stand her ground and look him directly in the eyes.

"Yes, Damon. All right? I admit it. I enjoyed you kissing me. I enjoyed kissing you back. Is that enough? Can I go to sleep now?"

"Done," he finished, and flew out the window, slamming it shut behind him. With a little effort, Elena got up and locked the window, closing the draped tight against the now full-on sun. She laid back down and tried to sleep, but with her sleep came dreams....


	4. Chapter 4

_**Fun, Fun, Fun. I've read some really nice stories over the last few days. Many of you have some fantastic and original ideas out there. The one critical thing I have to tell you all as an experienced writer: grammar and spelling mean more than you think they do. They can mean the difference between grabbing your reader's attention and running with it, and making your work dead in the water. Some things I had to force myself to continue reading, because I knew they were worth it, even though I was having to do mental hoops to get through them.**_

_**Take care, and just keep swimming...just keep swimming...hang that Dory....just keep swimming....can't drown her yet....because she's a fish....just keep swimming....**_

_** -M.**_

* * *

Looking in the mirror, Elena saw pales skin, dark circles and bloodshot eyes. As she glanced at the clock on her nightstand, it read 4:30 p.m. Jeremy hadn't bothered to try and wake her like he was supposed to. It was all the same, either way. Her head wasn't throbbing anymore. Just a dull, steady ache. With a tentative hand she reached to the base of her skull and found that the knot she'd had was now smaller. _Good_, she thought. She washed her face with some cool water, brushed her teeth, and went back to sleep again.

The next time she looked over, it was dark . The numbers on the clock were bright and glaring in her room. She rolled over, fully intent on going back to sleep...but she heard movement and reached up to turn on her lamp. "All right. Who's there?" she called into what she had assumed was her empty room.

"It's me," came Stefan's voice. He was sitting in the chair at her desk, turned around so he could watch her sleep. He'd been there for the better part of two hours, watching the rise and fall of her chest, her grimaces and smiles, and hearing every word she managed to stay in her sleep.

"Oh. Sorry. Wait...who let you in?" she asked, turning to look quickly at her window, which was still shut and latched; curtains still drawn. Stefan caught the movement. He watched her pensively for a moment, the silence between them stretching. He was saved from answering her by a knock on the door, which Jeremy opened without waiting for an answer.

"Hey, Elena...oh, Stefan, didn't realize you were still here. Everything good? Taking care of my sister still?" he asked, looking from one to the other. "You know, my offer still stands for the both of you, I can make dinner...order a pizza? Going once, going twice...?" Elena's stomach picked that exact moment to rumble, and each of their laughter released the tension within them. Jeremy shook his head. "Okay then. I'll get right on it." He closed the door behind them and left them to each other again.

"So, um, I assume by that, that Jeremy let you in," Elena surmised. She sighed, pushing her pillows behind her so she could sit up better. Stefan repositioned himself in the chair before he spoke.

"Yes. He did. You've been asleep for more than twelve hours, Elena. But it doesn't look like you've slept at all. Anything you want to talk about?" he asked. Elena didn't speak, just shook her head. She felt like she hadn't slept at all. She'd tossed, and turned, and dreamed a different dream each time she'd fallen back to sleep.

Stefan's jaw worked a little, as if he was deciding what was the best thing to say. "Fine, I'll just come right out and ask it. Want to tell me what your dreams were about? Or better yet, why you were dreaming about Damon?"

"How did you know I was dreaming about Damon?" she asked, a little too quickly. Elena snapped her mouth shut, unable to look directly at Stefan. She took a deep breath, then asked again, more calmly. "Stefan, how did you know I was dreaming about Damon? Did I say something, do something in my sleep?"

He chuckled, knowing that she must not remember, then. She was far too confused. "Oh, just a little tossing, moaning, grimacing...and you said his name about three or four times. That's all." Elena did her best to control her reaction, taking a deep breath before answering. "I...did...what?" Her voice was very calm, and very even. Almost too calm.

"Yep. It's okay, Elena. I don't blame you. I'm sure you're a little traumatized after what happened last night." Stefan stood up and went to sit on her bed next to her. He leaned over and gave her a warm hug - the kind of hug she was used to. It was loving, and kind, and felt familiar and safe.

"Yes. Traumatized," she replied, a little blank. For the truth was, she didn't feel traumatized at all. At least not by her dreams. Some of them were...interesting. Oh, who was she kidding? She liked her dreams. Liked them very much. It was the whole reason she hadn't gotten any sleep. But for now, she closed her eyes and laid her head on Stefan's shoulder, content to stay that way for an eternity.

* * *

"I knew you liked it. Just can't get enough of me, can you?" Damon asked as he opened the door to Elena. The sight of the manor house never ceased to amaze her. She enjoyed the richness of the wood and the old world smells it entailed.

"No Damon," she began. "I just have a few questions to ask you before I talk to Stefan."

"Stefan's not here, Elena. So as far as he's concerned, time is wasted. So, what do you want?" He led the way into the den, where as per usual a roaring fire was in the huge fireplace. Elena shook her head at it, rubbing her palms flat against the surface of her jeans before hugging her arms to her. She wasn't cold in the least, just not comfortable at that moment. She felt like a mouse being watched by a hawk. Or a crow.

Damon sat on the long leather couch that she usually found him on. He looked very at home there, part of the piece itself. It was while looking at him that what he'd said sunk in. "Wait, what do you mean Stefan's not here?" She looked at her watch. It was ten-thirty. Elena stood, thinking. "Did he tell you where he was going?"

"No, Elena. He walked right past me out the door. Not a word. So have a seat. Tell me what's bothering you." If not for the glass of amber colored liquid in his hand, she would swear she was having a visit with a shrink. Elena blinked a couple of times, then shook her head. "I'd rather stand, thank you."

"Suit yourself." Damon watched, and waited. His eyes narrowed as he lounged there, looking at ease. But inside he was curious, trying to not pressure her into telling him what he wanted to hear.

"Look. Have you been in my dreams again?" she asked.

"I don't know, have I?" he countered. The classic Salvatore smirk returned to his lips. "Perhaps you should rephrase the question, Elena."

Flustered before she even got an answer, she tried again. "Fine. Have you been invading my dreams again, controlling them? If you couldn't already tell, I didn't get much sleep today. The sleep that I did get? Not that good." Elena slid her hands in her pockets to keep from wringing them. Damon smiled, and with a blur of movement, he was in front of her, fingering the necklace she wore.

"I think you know the answer to that, Elena. With this, this vervain? I can't compel you, I can't invade your dreams. What you do and what you say and what you dream? Those are yours and yours alone. Were we naughty in these dreams of yours?" Elena started at that. No way was she going to tell him about the dreams. Some were weird, some erotic - some of them were downright fantastic. But she was distracted from her thoughts again as Damon ran a finger all the way from the nape of her neck to her collarbone, releasing the chain of her necklace but allowing the pad of his finger to taper from her neck to her shoulder, along the same horizontal.

"Stop Damon," she said softly. But inside, she was waging a war against herself. A page had been turned in her life book in the last twenty four hours. Lines had become blurred, and she wasn't in the right frame of mind to clear them again. Damon leaned into her. To anyone on the outside, it would look like he was kissing her, or kissing her neck, at the very least. But he really was just getting closer to her ear, so as to whisper without the possibility of anyone overhearing.

"You don't mean that. You know it, and I know it." He smiled, taking in the change of her scent as her pulse and body temperature increased. They were classic signs of fear, adrenaline, and arousal. Only she knew which.

"Damon...." she whispered, more audible than he. Elena looked into his eyes, knowing it wasn't compulsion. It was attraction, an underlying current that had always been there, but that she had always reigned in. Never to scratch the surface, never to be acted upon. She found herself leaning into him a bit, trying to get the words to her mouth.

"What the hell is going on here? Damon, get away from her!" Stefan stormed into the room. He was familiar with the cat and mouse game that Damon played with both girls and women. But Elena had always been stronger than the others. It was one of the factors that made him love her all the more.

Damon grinned, putting his hands up in surrender. "As you wish," he said, smirk fully in place. He sauntered back over to the couch, lounging on it as if nothing had happened. Elena, on the other hand.... She was struggling to regain her composure. If Stefan hadn't come in at that moment.... _No, don't think about it,_ she thought. Her head was beginning to pound again. She took a step closer toward the fire, trying to warm the coldness that had set into her bones. It was radiating from Stefan.

"Elena?" he said. Stefan walked over to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. She sighed and nodded, and he led her out of the den and up to his room.

Damon's eyes narrowed, lips pursing as he watched them go.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Have fun reading, and if you get a chance, go read "A Tomb To Forget". Excellent piece of fanfiction, that is. - M._**

* * *

A million times he started to leave, and nine-hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, he sat back down again. Damon stood at the front door, looking outside for the millionth time, yet still not quite crossing that threshold. Something kept pulling him back.

It was his desire to listen in. He wanted to know what excuses Elena was going to give Stefan this time for the position she'd found herself in. No, that wasn't it. He smirked again, thinking it was more of wanting to listen to the irritation in his brother's voice any time Damon's name came into the conversation. No, wrong again. Could he really be thinking what he thought he was thinking?

_Nah_. A vampire's thoughts swirl around in the brain pan much faster than a normal human being's. It was what allowed them to move with such speed and precision. So much so that a normal person would think they were going mad. But as Damon stood there, trying to decide whether to stay or go, his own thoughts suddenly ground to a screeching halt. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no,_ his brain repeated in denial. But there it was, deep in the quiet recesses of his thoughts, the ones that went on in the background without him really thinking about them. There it was. And it made him angry. _ So much for getting any pleasure out of hearing the two lovebirds fight,_ he thought consciously.

With a vicious amount of force, Damon slammed the front door shut as he finally made his decision. He ran with an amazing amount of grace for the speed he was putting into it. But his goal was to do anything but think at that moment. For if he began to think, then it would be a new weakness in him. Weakness is not something he needed, nor desired. Weaknesses can get you killed.

He had his mind set on one goal: to feed. Elena be damned. _Now where did that come from?_ he thought. _Gah! _ The last thing he needed to think about was precious little Elena and what she wanted him to do or wanted him to be. Her pretty little pictures fit Stefan and his brooding, self-pitying, conscience-filled persona. Not Damon. Damon was ruthless, and selfish, and full of hate for the little brother who made him exactly what he was: a cruel killing machine that felt no mercy for anyone or anything that got in his way. He slowed as he reached the outskirts of the woods, his nose set upon the scent of a young camper who seemed to be separated from anyone else. She was young, and fresh, and her blood pounded noisily in the quiet surroundings. One side of Damon's mouth quirked upward as he began to slowly emerge from the trees, presenting himself in front of her.

The girl was an easy target. She couldn't be more than seventeen; athletic, but soft enough that she wasn't going to put up much resistance. She had blond hair that fell just beneath her shoulders, but it was her eyes that caught his attention. They were a rich, warm brown that made one think of dark maple being poured from a bottle. He smiled warmly to her and without much effort at all she came over to him. Good. It was easier for him when they didn't ask questions. Damon hooded his eyes and began to lean towards her when she looked directly at him. He hesitated. Damon the killer never hesitated...but those eyes.

He couldn't do it. "You will remember nothing," he said, making sure that she was compelled to turn around and find her party. Damon slid to the ground against a large tree trunk, shaking his head. The girl had Elena's eyes. Elena was influencing him without even meaning to, and if she was doing that, he was in trouble. They all would be.

* * *

"What did you two talk about?" Stefan asked as he and Elena both flinched from the sound of the front door slamming. It rattled the light fixtures in Stefan's room. He was pacing about, Elena sitting cross-legged on the foot of the bed. She sighed and looked up at him.

"That's the whole thing, Stefan. We didn't talk about anything that was really that important. I asked him about dreams, and if vampires could invade people's dreams. He told me not to worry, because you gave me a necklace of vervain." She hoped he believed what she said. Lying by omission wasn't really lying, was it?

Stefan continued to pace, his hand pinching the bottom of his chin as he thought. "And you discussed nothing else?" His brow furrowed as he thought that something else had to be going on. First the pool, then walking in to see this.... Elena shook her head. "Not really, Stefan. I came looking for you, but you weren't here." Another lie. Well, a partial one, she supposed. Stefan stopped pacing and walked over to her, taking her hands in his.

"Well, if that's all it was. Listen, if my brother ever bothers you, you know you can tell me, right?" His eyes searched hers intently. But Elena had gotten pretty good at camouflaging her feelings and thoughts since she'd met the Salvatore brothers. She'd had to, both for her sake and theirs.

"Yes, Stefan," she said lowly and calmly. "You'll be the first one to know if he does." And she meant it. But the truth of the matter was, Damon bothered her less and less of late. She hadn't much time to think of it until right in that moment. Elena closed her eyes and put the thoughts on a shelf in her mind for her to mull over later. She was there with Stefan right now, and she needed to focus on it. Her stomach grumbled and she laughed at its veracity, shaking her head. "Got anything to eat?"

With a smile, Stefan offered her his arm. "This way, my lady. Your buffet awaits." Elena felt her eyebrows raise as she looked at him quizzically. Stefan smiled wider in return. "Okay, okay. So it's a fridge full of cold cuts and leftovers, and I think Zach used to keep some frozen pizzas in here, too. Whatever you want to eat."

Elena remembered Zach. She'd only met him once before he'd met his demise at Damon's hands. There it was again, that name. So much destruction and death attached to that name. She shook her head to clear her thoughts of him and walked with Stefan down the staircase. "Anything's good. I'm not picky."

They were halfway into sharing one of those frozen pizzas when they heard the front door slam again. "Damon's back," Stefan said. Elena nodded, concentrating on the food in front of her. She kept her eyes down when Damon entered the room, ignoring when he reached around her to grab a slice of pepperoni and cheese goodness. A thought popped into her head.

"If your diet is mostly fresh blood, why do you bother eating at all?" she asked of neither brother in particular.

"Because it tastes good," Damon replied, not missing a beat. His voice was smooth and its tone snarky, but something was bothering him. She felt it, and from the look that Stefan gave her, he felt it too. "What are you two still doing up? It's almost midnight, Elena, shouldn't you be headed home? Or do you suddenly not have a curfew?"

"Aunt Jenna's not home, Damon, and I thought I'd.... I thought I'd stay here tonight." Damon nodded and said something that she didn't catch under his breath, while Stefan put his arms around her and smiled. "What's wrong, Damon, trying to get rid of me so you can berate Stefan about not being as big and as bad as you?" She stopped, realizing she was jabbing at him on purpose. She was angry with him, but was she really? Or was it she was more angry with herself? Elena put the pizza down. "You know, I'm not hungry anymore. I think I'll head to bed. Stefan, are you coming?"

"One minute," he said, letting go of her as she walked out of the kitchen. He turned to his brother, eyes narrowed and picking up on everything. "What did you do to her, Damon?"

"Absolutely nothing," he replied. But as he heard her climb the stairs, Damon was wondering it, too.


	6. Chapter 6

_**More than one update a day? Oh my! Enjoy my pretties! - M.**_

* * *

Stefan watched Elena sleep. Or her lack of sleep, if he wanted to be truthful about it. She tossed and turned more that night than he'd ever remembered seeing her. She seemed very angry at one point, thrashing about ruthlessly like she was trying to injure someone, or fight for her life. With barely any force, he held her down as she moved, trying to keep her from injuring herself.

"Damon...." she said in her sleep as she calmed down. Barely a whisper, but with his augmented hearing he could hear a pin drop in a crowded room. His eyes narrowed as he thought of his brother, knowing Damon was somewhere in the house. It was barely three-thirty in the morning, and Stefan himself hadn't bothered to sleep at all. He laid down next to Elena again, stroking her hair while he whispered soothingly into her ear.

"Shh...Elena...shh....it's all right. Everything's all right. Calm down....go to sleep. Everything's just fine." He said the words with a rhythm almost like a lullaby. It worked, as she started to calm down, her heartbeat returning to a normal sleep rhythm. Stefan smiled as she whimpered lightly, soon falling fast asleep.

* * *

Damon was still in the den, reading a book again. He couldn't sleep, his mind wandering worse than its usual. His thoughts occupied by the young woman laying in his brother's arms, right above where he sat. This irritated him more than it should, pulling a fetid curse from his lips as he threw the book across the den to land on the desk behind him. He drained the last of the packaged blood from the highball glass he'd been holding, licking the last drops from his lips. It wasn't as good as the real thing, but it would do. The mood he'd been in earlier, he'd likely have ripped an innocent human's throat out entirely, which would have killed his recent streak of feeding and not wiping the victim out entirely.

A noise from above attracted his attention, and he suddenly mused about how small the big house really was. They'd lived here on and off the last century, but never had it felt more crowded. He felt that his brother was doing the crowding. _Now where did that thought come from?_ Slowly and near silently he began to climb the stairs, avoiding the choice areas that creaked. There it was again, a noise like someone was fighting. Damon padded lightly down the hallway toward the noise, which was coming from Stefan's room. _Now what has he done?_ he thought as he neared the door. It was open a crack, but what greeted him was not fighting.

_Damon_. He'd heard it, loud a clear as a church bell on a Sunday morning. She'd said his name again in her sleep. It made him stop and watch as his brother soothed her, and a burning feeling began deep in his belly. What was it? Disappointment? Jealousy? He quickly realized it was the latter, a faint memory from long ago still tainting his mind. It was but a mere shadow of what he currently felt eating up his insides, and that floored him. Damon Salvatore, jealous of his little brother Stefan...again.

He turned, headed down to the bathroom and closed the door.

* * *

Something woke Elena. It was early, that much she could tell. It was light outside, but the sun wasn't yet shining through the windows of the Salvatore household. She turned to see Stefan still sleeping next to her. Something she'd noticed about vampires thanks to the two brothers was that they always seemed weaker when the sun began to come over the horizon. Quietly she slipped out of bed and headed down to the bathroom to relieve herself.

The door was closed, but when she tried the handle, not locked. Elena knocked tentatively, but received no answer from the only other inhabitant of the house, so she pushed it open then closed and locked it behind her. The sight before her was a surprise. Sitting on the floor to the edge of the counter-top was Damon, staring off into space. He looked up at her and nodded, then stared into space again, focusing on some elusive object that when she turned to look behind her, was not there.

Elena turned back around to face him, her brow furrowed. "Damon, are you all right?" she asked. Receiving no answer, she sat cross-legged in front of him and asked again, this time getting his attention.

"Leave me alone, Elena. Do what you have to do, then get out," he said. The undercurrent to his words were angry, but Elena had never been deterred by an angry vampire. If anything, she'd been known to charge forward, half-cocked at times.

"Uh-uh. No can do. I'm not using the only bathroom in this house while someone else is in here, and _especially_ not if it's you," she countered, looking at him like he could go jump in a lake. She had to lean back a bit, her back hitting the other supporting wall as Damon leaned forward and got in her face.

"What, worried I might see something I haven't already? Don't worry, I've seen plenty." His eyes narrowed as he looked at her intently, undressing her with his gaze. It didn't have the same quality as, say, one she would have gotten from some sleazy old pedophile, but it unnerved her, nonetheless.

"Back off, Damon," she said, pressing herself against the wall as far as she could. Damon smiled and leaned in closer, so he was almost on top of her. "And what if I don't?" he said. She narrowed her eyes and uttered a veiled threat. "I'll scream." He laughed, shaking his head as he gave no ground.

"No you won't. You know why? Because Stefan will come. And then he'll want to know why you locked yourself in the bathroom with little old me. And while he'll be angry that you did it, with me- at least, he'll be wondering if it had anything to do with the fact that you called my name out in your sleep last night."

"No I did not!" she said quickly, putting a hand up to push him away. But it was physical contact. It seemed as of late that physical contact between them was a mistake; a powder keg waiting to go off. Elena looked at her hand on his chest, staring at it like something or someone else was in control of her body. She looked up into Damon's face and what she saw there made her gasp. "I-I'm sorry."

"Not sorry enough." Damon grabbed her wrist and instead of pushing her away he pulled it up and around his neck, crushing her to him. "No...not sorry enough," he whispered as he darted in and crushed her lips with his. Elena's eyes widened in surprise as he kissed her, then, just as before, she felt herself giving in. She couldn't help it.

Every available inch of his body was pressed against hers as he pulled her in as tight as possible, his arms going around her waist as he brought her to sit upon his lap. Damon never broke the kiss, drinking her in as he would the life blood he could not live without. Elena finally started tapping on his shoulder, and the tapping became the pounding of her fist as he finally released her, allowing her to get the air she so desperately needed.

"Now I'm sorry," he said, running his finger over her swollen lips. He'd nicked her with one of his teeth, the tiny drop of blood covering the tip of his index finger. He brought it up to his mouth, slowly sucking the red liquid off of his finger before he sighed and smiled at her. "Delicious." This did nothing to help calm her breathing, of course, which was still coming in heavy gasps. Damon gave her a break, leaning back against the wall while still holding onto her, resting.

She looked up at him, then, a sadness in her eyes that he'd never seen before. Elena looked at him in confusion, shaking her head back and forth. "I don't know what I'm going to do. What am I going to do?"

Damon smiled, but it was more of a smirk - evil and delicious thoughts running through his head. She knew what he was thinking, and smacked him hard against the side of his shoulder again. "That is NOT what I meant, Damon."

"Oh, I know what you meant," he said, his grin widening. The look in his eyes said that he really didn't give a damn. "But Stefan is your problem, Elena. Not mine."

And she stayed still for a moment, the world around her having just gotten a lot more complicated.


	7. Chapter 7

Elena sat at the Grill, pushing her food around on her plate. It had been three days since she'd left Damon sitting there on the floor of the bathroom. Three days since she'd spoken to either brother.

"Hey, Elena. Something bothering you?" Her brother, on the other hand.... Jeremy was beginning to become a little too nosy for her taste. She carefully put her fork down - bringing her hands together, lacing her fingers. With a sigh she responded.

"Yeah, Jer. I'm just a little tired." Truth was, she was exhausted. "Can you get this to go? I just want to go home." Jeremy looked at her, obviously more than a little concerned. But he knew his sister, and he knew for sure that she wouldn't want him pressing her about it. "Sure," he said simply as she slid her part of the bill and the corresponding check in her direction, keeping his eyes on her. The good thing about having a trust fund is that they never had to work.

Elena nodded as she gathered her keys and her cell phone. "You take the car. I think I'm going to walk." She left him sitting there, a warm afternoon breeze hitting her face as she hit the doors. Her eyes closed automatically and for the first time in days, she smiled. In that moment she felt light and clear and free of everything that fettered her mind.

"Hello, Elena."

"Damon." The peaceful moment flew away faster than she thought was possible.

"Seen my brother lately?" he asked.

Elena refused to turn and look at him as she replied. "No, I haven't, why?"

"Hmmm...." he began. The breeze had managed to kick up a few hairs across her cheek. Damon reached over and put them back into place. "Well, I haven't seen him myself since the other day. So either he's avoiding me - like someone else I know - or he's off doing something...secretive." Damon's voice was low, with the seductive quality that was so familiar to her. But there was something else.

She fought not to laugh aloud. Elena found something that bothered the great Damon Salvatore. He was irritated that his younger brother might be up to something - that for once Stefan might have the upper hand. It didn't matter.

"What do you want, Damon?" Elena made sure her voice was level, and as cold as she could get it.

He smiled, his best unaffected one. "A million dollars and eternal salvation. Think I have a shot?" Damon leaned back, rocking on his heels. Elena shook her head.

"The money I'm pretty sure you already have covered, Damon. The salvation...?" She didn't bother to finish the sentence. They both knew it would take a hell of a lot of repentance from Damon for him to receive anything close to resembling salvation. Hell, it might even take eternity itself. "Excuse me," she said suddenly, side-stepping him.

Damon stared after her. He watched her curiously, the way a scientist would an experiment that hadn't quite gone the way they'd meant it to. "What bee went and got under her bonnet?" he said aloud to no one in particular. Women usually had one of three reactions to him. A - they hated him immediately. B - they fell head over heels to be near him. C - they slowly warmed up to his charms, eventually won over. Elena was something of a conundrum. She'd take a while to warm up to him, then stopped fighting her attraction to him. Now she was doing her best to avoid him altogether. _Just when I thought I understood women_, he thought.

Before he'd even finished that stream of thoughts Stefan walked up behind Damon. "I was wondering the exact same thing myself." Damon turned, feigning surprise at his brother's entrance. He even managed to widen his eyes appropriately and lay a hand across his chest. Truth was he had heard his approach about thirty seconds earlier.

"Hello there, brother." The last word came out weighted. Face quickly changing, the leather of his jacket crinkled as he crossed his arms in front of him. "So, what brings you to town?" All pretense of nicety gone, Damon's impatience began to show.

Stefan didn't bother trying to be anything more than remotely civil, either. "Looking for you, and looking for Elena. What did you do, Damon?"

"Me? Why does it always have to be **_my_** fault? You assume too much, Stefan." A quick glance of derision from his younger brother and he conceded. "Fine, fine.... **_Usually_** it is my fault. But I'm telling you, this time I don't have a clue." Well, maybe that wasn't the whole truth. But he didn't know why Elena had suddenly started heading the other way every time he or Stefan was in the vicinity. "Anything else?" he asked of Stefan.

Stefan shook his head. Something wasn't right. Problem was that Damon was a good liar. He was pretty sure something was going on here. It wasn't like Elena to just take off. Damon nodded at his brother, foregoing words as he took his leave. One of them would figure out what was going on with the girl that was between them; one way or another.

* * *

_I'm on the outside _  
_I'm looking in _  
_I can see through you _  
_See your true colors _  
_Cause inside you're ugly _  
_You're ugly like me _  
_I can see through you _  
_See to the real you _

Elena sat on her bed, back to her pillows, her knees hugged up to her chest. She rocked back and forth to the beat of the song on her iPod, listening to the song over and over again, the words sinking into her subconscious mind like coffee into ladyfingers. The longer she rocked, the more she pictured them both behind her closed lids.

Stefan, the younger of the two. He was slightly taller than his brother, but not by much. Over time, he'd been known as the gentler of the two souls - ever patient, ever repentant. Then there was Damon. Darker, seemingly more mysterious. He had done and seen things that no one in their right mind should ever have been a part of. Both of them hid behind their own fences. Stefan hid his dark side behind his. Damon hid an inner light.

A silent tear slowly crept down her right cheek as she continued to sit, continued to think. She didn't know what to do. Elena had already given herself over to Stefan, more so than she had to any other young man - both in body and soul. But Damon...she was so frightened about the possibilities. There was something there. Something had always been there. Her morality had made her overlook it. He already had a piece of her soul.

But what would happen if she let that all go? Could she really do that? Could she make that decision, or take that chance?

Somewhere, outside in the looming dark, two vampires waited.


	8. Chapter 8

_**I've been reading the Vampire Diaries since I was a teenager. In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, I'm a bit older than that now (go read my profile if you don't believe it). I've always had the sense that Elena really loves the two brothers, for reasons that are both different and the same. I feel like Damon is her eventual destination, and Stefan is the stepping stone for that. She really loves each of them. When she was bent and broken and needing a hand, Stefan found her, nurtured her and made her okay. Damon took her and opened her up to the other parts of her she hadn't tapped into yet. I think she belongs with the both of them, but unlike Katherine, I think she'll make a different choice.**_

_**I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and that you won't mind where I take it, or for how long. Lol.... Toodles! - M. **_

* * *

The sun was hot and high in the sky. Elena relaxed on a float in the middle of her pool. She was away from everyone and everything. Suddenly she was glad that her aunt Jenna had to stay in Northern Virginia for another three days. It allowed Elena more time to think, or in the case of right in that moment, not to think. She just lay there, soaking up as much warm May sunshine as her body could handle.

"Elena, what's the matter?" Bonnie's voice came drifting across the surface of the water through the quiet to Elena's ears. Bonnie hadn't spoken to her since early spring, when her grandmother died in the attempt to find Katherine - just another dead end. No pun intended.

"Nothing's the matter, Bonnie. I'm getting a tan," Elena replied. She felt disconnected, realizing her voice had come out exactly the same way. She hadn't really meant it to, but trying to put off dealing with the torrent swirling within her mind had made her shut off a lot of things in the process.

Bonnie looked at her closely. Elena's skin was pale and white, and they both knew if she laid out there too long, her skin would take on that lobster quality that too many people who went to the shore got after such a long time. "Fine, Elena. Have it your way. I brought your assignments," she said, tossing a stack of papers on a nearby lounge chair. Bonnie turned to go, then looked back at Elena, speaking over her shoulder. "You don't have to deal with whatever this is on your own, you know. I'm here for you."

"Just like you were when I tried to help you?" Elena countered. "No thanks." She knew that had come out a little mean, but at the moment she didn't really care. Bonnie shook her head, her face fallen. Elena was right. Maybe it was just too late to bridge that gap, but she had to try.

"Whatever. You'll care when you miss a few more days of school," she finished, leaving the yard.

Elena sighed, leaning her head back as her fingers trailed in the cool water. She knew what Bonnie was trying to convey. Elena had stayed home for the last week. It was more an inadvertent way of keeping Stefan as far away as possible. But she couldn't hide forever.

Later that evening, she stopped hiding. Elena sighed as she stood outside the Salvatore house. The front door loomed before her, waiting for her knuckles to make contact. She'd started several times, then pulled her hand back. She wasn't sure what she would say, or to whom.

The door opened before she could feignt-knock again. Stefan stood there, looking at her questioningly. "May I come in?" she asked, her voice barely audible. But she knew from experience that Stefan heard her just fine. In response he merely stood back, allowing her to enter. She passed him, making her way directly to the den.

There was a fire going, even with the warmth of the pre-summer evening outside. The darkness of the house lent to the coldness in the air, all old brick and mortar made to do just that. She sat down on one couch, running her palms nervously across the denim that covered her knees and she looked up to see Damon had entered the room, joining his brother.

"Elena," he said quietly, those hooded eyes watching her. And while he watched her, Stefan took in the both of them. "It's been a while since we've seen you. Have you been well?"

Stefan's brow furrowed. He wished he understood everything that was going on, but he waited patiently for Elena to explain herself.

"I'm fine, Damon. Look, I need to speak with you. But I need to speak to Stefan, too. I want to speak to him first."

Damon's eyes widened in mock surprise. He'd known this was coming, knew she was going to make a choice. He nodded, hiding a smile within. "Sure, I'll be waiting upstairs."

Elena shook her head as she couldn't help but smile. Even when she was in the worst mood, Damon's snarkiness would always make her smile against herself. She didn't speak, just turned and patted the seat next to her, waiting for Stefan to join her. He did, taking her hands in his as his eyes searched hers. "Stefan...I...."

"Shhh..." he started, placing a finger against her lips. "It's okay. I know. Damon has that ability. For him, it's like a gift." He moved and took her into his arms, enveloping her in a hug. Elena buried her head in his shoulder, loving the feel of him; the warmth, the smell, the familiarity. She felt safe, and at home. Was she ready to give that up, to hurtle blindly into the unknown that was Damon?

"Stefan, I can't..." she began as she pulled herself away from the hug. She placed her hands on each of Stefan's arms to steady herself. "You know that I love you. But there's something going on here that no even I understand..."

"You don't have to, Elena. I don't expect you to. I told you, Damon has a gift for twisting situations and making people feel things that may not even be real," he countered. Was that really it? Were these new sparks of feeling and emotion part of a game that Damon was playing with her? Just another way to torture his brother through eternity? No. She couldn't believe that. She wouldn't. Elena shook her head and began again.

"Stefan. I love you. You know that. What I feel for you isn't something that just comes and goes. It's real, it's solid. It's something I can count on. You need to understand that because what I'm going to say isn't easy." She didn't need anyone to tell her that her pulse was quickening, that she was nervous to continue. But she did it anyway. "There are other things in this world that I just don't understand. But the only way I'm going to understand them is to try. Do you understand what I am saying to you?"

Stefan's face fell. So this was it. She was dumping him for his brother. Elena saw the pain enter his eyes. She reached up and felt his jawline, working as he fought to keep his mouth shut, rather than lash out at her for hurting him. She spoke softly, calmly. "I'm not leaving you, Stefan. I've just got figure out what all this means. I still love you."

"Have fun with Damon," he spat out bitterly, pulling away from her to put space between them. "I'll steer clear of you when you're here."

Elena reached out then pulled her hand back as if she'd been bitten. "No...no I don't want that. This is your home, too, Stefan. I'm just going to try to get to know Damon a little, too. And before you say it: this isn't Katherine all over again. This time a choice will be made."

Damon heard her from upstairs. He'd listened to the entire conversation, a little disappointed that she didn't trounce all over his brother's pathetic excuse for a heart. He leaned back on his pillows, waiting for her to come up the stairs. Everything was working according to his original plan from the moment he'd stepped foot over the Fell's Church city limit line. Believe it or not, he was a little more than excited on getting to know a little bit more of Elena Gilbert, too.


	9. Chapter 9

Elena knocked faintly on Damon's door. Before he even opened it, she heard the front door slam. Soon after the sound of gravel spitting out from under the tires of Stefan's red Ferrari let her know not only was he angry with her, but that she was now completely and utterly alone with Damon. _Here goes nothing_, she thought.

"Come in," drawled Damon from within. He was lying on his bed, naked from the waist up. He'd kicked off his shoes and crossed his legs at the ankles. At the sight of this, Elena's jaw dropped for a moment before she was able to successfully recover.

"Oh, come on! Really, Damon?!?" She leaned against the door frame, crossing her arms.

He waggled his eyebrows suggestively, stretching his arms wide in an expansive display of his well-honed pectoral muscles. "You know you like it." He continued for a moment before letting it go, sensing her mood was more serious than his own. "All right, Elena. Spill it. My dear brother left us alone for now but you never know how long it will be before he comes back."

Elena took a seat at the foot of his bed, right next to those pale feet. She sighed, wishing she could affect his brevity, but there were things they needed to talk about. "Damon, look. I'm not sure of what I'm doing right now...." As she began to speak , he sat up. He was almost directly in front of her now. "Damon, please. I need to finish...."

"No. Right now, you don't. We're alone. Completely alone," he began. Before she could protest he brought a finger to her lips. "Shh...I don't know how much time alone we're going to have."

The look on his face froze the words on her tongue. She felt like she had a lump stuck in her throat. no one had ever looked at her like that. Not even Stefan. There was such a look of raw, unadulterated need on Damon's features that he if he were a sculpture, he might crack. Just as quickly as she saw it, he managed to make it disappear again.

With one hand Elena reached out and stroked the left side of Damon's face. His eyes closed as he fought to keep his facade in place. But she'd already seen behind that wall; beneath that mask. Elena knew it. Damon knew it.

Damon was fine at first. He was nothing if not an excellent actor, having practiced this type of situation over and over in the last century and a half in order to get what he wanted. But the moment Elena's skin touched his, he knew he was in trouble. Something about the young woman in front of him unnerved him. He'd actually managed to fool himself into thinking the only reason he wanted her was to avenge himself against his brother because of Katherine. But he'd been wrong. The closer he'd tried to get to Elena for that very purpose, the more he was doing himself in. He just hadn't figured that key piece of information out until that very moment. Damon Salvatore, ladies' man extraordinaire, had - for the second time in his miserable existence - fallen in love.

Elena sensed a change in him. She looked at Damon more closely. His eyes were different, like he was both surprised and in wonder in the same instant. Her hand dropped, frozen as she now was.

"Elena..." Her name sounded strangled as it came from his lips. All pretense dropped as he reached for her, crushing her mouth with his as he tried to drink her in with a kiss. She made him feel human again. For that briefest of moments, the last 145 years of his life disappeared. The memory of Katherine was now just that; an old and dead memory washed away with the sensory input of this young woman. Of the young woman he was now touching; tasting.

Damon pulled back from her and smiled, almost laughing at Elena's breathlessness. He leaned back on his pillows, pulling her along with him to nestle atop his bare chest. "You were saying?"

She thought quickly. If she started in with her serious conversation again, they would lose whatever ground they'd just made. He may not have said anything directly, or aloud, but Elena knew from instinct that Damon felt something for her. This wasn't some twisted farce to get back at Stefan. Or was it?

Choosing to go with her gut, and not really wanting to find out the answer then and there, Elena put the planned conversation on the back burner. She wasn't going to kill the good mood, smiling as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to relax against him.

"Nothing, Damon. Nothing at all."


	10. Chapter 10

She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep, or where she was when she first woke up - for that matter. She knew she was warm, and felt safe, and was enveloped in a pair of the strongest and firmest arms she'd ever felt. But she was aware that she was being watched, and turned ever so slightly to see who or what was doing the watching.

As she spotted Stefan standing in the doorway, it came flooding back to her quickly. She looked down at Damon's sleeping form. At least he was pretending to be sleeping. He was still shirtless and she was still fully clothed. Stefan still stood there, watching her as she slowly attempted to remove herself from the cage of Damon's arms. The look on Stefan's face was mostly unreadable, except the anger in his eyes was replaced with sadness. Just as she slid off the bed to speak to him, he'd left the doorway, and her, behind.

Stefan walked silently into the vast space that his bedroom encompassed. He went over to the bookshelf where he kept everything that was precious to him. The picture of Katherine, still placed carefully in the bottom of an old lockbox. Perhaps he should burn it, but something in him was never able to. Call it a remembrance for his sanity's sake. He picked up a ribbon that Elena had worn in her hair to the fifties dance at the high school. Bringing it to his face he could still smell her scent, as strong as ever, riding upon the fabric. Closing his eyes he could see her there in his mind, bright and enigmatic, gentle and kind. He opened his eyes again and balled the ribbon up in his fist, tossing it into the box with Katherine's portrait. He was angry again, but he didn't blame her. No, he blamed his brother.

Damon, in his opinion, had waited for the perfect opportunities over and over again to weasel his way into Elena's good graces. Every time that Stefan had slipped up, trying his best to protect Elena, Damon did or said something that either made her doubt Stefan, or made her trust more in Damon altogether. But he wasn't going to give up that easily. No, his brother probably banked on his usual brooding and self-sacrifice. Any other time, with any other person, if he thought it would make Elena happier, better, he would step out of the way and move on. But Damon couldn't make her happier. Damon wouldn't make her life better. And he'd be damned if he'd stand around and do nothing about it.

"Stefan?" came Elena's voice from the doorway. It was as soft as his memory of her skin beneath his fingertips. He longed to reach out and hold her again, but there was something between them now. He wouldn't push her, but take his time, just as his dear brother Damon had taken his.

"Come in," he replied, looking through some more things on his book shelf. A movie ticket here, an announcement book from the Founder's Day Celebration there. So he wouldn't be distracted he put everything in a stack and turned toward her. "Can I help you?"

"Stefan, I.... I just wanted you to know that...well...nothing happened between Damon and I and...."

He stopped her with one hand up. "It's okay. I think I could see that for myself." Relief washed over her face and made him wonder. "You know, Elena, your choice is yours. I just hope you make the right one. I'm still here, and as long as you want me to be, I will be here."

Her lips pursed as if she was trying to decide on how to say something, but decided against it. Elena put a hand on his forearm, squeezing lightly as she spoke. "Thank you. I promise you, you won't regret it." She turned to go, headed back down the hall to his brother's room.

Stefan watched her leave, speaking in a low and almost dangerous tone. "No, I won't."

* * *

Elena walked into the room, nearly turning around as an almost naked Damon quickly stepped in front of her. He was wearing a pair of grey boxer briefs that only emphasized his lean, muscular body. She felt a tug deep in the pit of her stomach when he was that close to her.

"Going somewhere?" he said in that deep and sexy tone he reserved for seduction. He watched her with a smirk, noting the dilation of her eyes and increased pulse, as well as the almost adorable way she licked her lips when nervous. Damon reached out and stroked her cheek from temple to chin as he noted all this.

"N-no. If you want me to go while you get dressed...." Elena looked him straight in the eyes as she responded. She was glad she still had her necklace, though if he really wanted to get away with anything, now was definitely the time.

As if thinking on the same wavelength, Damon reached out with one foot and kicked the door shut behind them. He pulled Elena with him, leaning over her as he laid her back on the bed. "Who said I was getting dressed?" As he traced another finger under her necklace and across the top of her chest, Elena's body involuntarily shivered. "Cold are we?"

"Not at all," she said, her voice huskier than usual. Her eyes moved fractionally as she looked him over - the whole of him. Every inch of his bare skin she wanted to touch. She was shocked at her own brazen thoughts. Usually she wasn't this straight forward...not even in her thinking. But the fact remained that she was still fully clothed and there was another person in the house.

"You're wearing too much clothing," he said. There he went again, thinking just as she did. It was unnerving for her as he began to slowly undo the buttons on her shirt, one by one.

"Damon, I...." He silenced her with a peck, pulling away too quickly for her liking. "Shh...Elena. If I go to far, just tell me to stop." She nodded silently. Watching him work on her clothing was agony. She wanted nothing more than to shimmy out of it as quickly as possible. But each time Damon slid his finger under the hem of her shirt, and his skin touched hers, she hissed. Not out of pain, but out of need. Each little bit made her want his skin against hers, now.

Damon smiled, patient and slow as he continued onward. He enjoyed dragging it out, watching her squirm. It was his own little brand of torture for her, because if and when he took her, he wanted it to be well worth it. He finished the shirt, pulling it gently off of her shoulders, leaving her chest encased in the thin satin fabric of her bra. He paused to take a good look at her, and found her breathing heavily, watching him. "You are beautiful." He meant it, smiling at the look of relief on her features, which he found a little odd, but moved along to the button on the top of her jeans. This took a little more work. They were form-fitting and he had to slide her out of them. The rose satin of her underwear matched her bra, the perfect tone for her olive skin, and one side of his mouth cocked up.

He laid down beside her, pulling her against him. Elena's intake of breath was audible, telling him that she felt it, too - like a million little electrical conduits were running up and down their skin, everywhere they touched. He'd thought that being with Katherine had been magical, but it didn't hold a candle to this. A crazy little thought ran through his mind: what if this really was what it felt like to be with someone you love, and that Katherine was just a fantasy? The thought flitted away and he shook his head to clear his mind.

Elena noticed the flick of his head, her features showing concern. "Damon, is something wrong?" But his trademark megawatt smile came back instantaneously. "No, Elena. Everything's perfect." She gasped as he traced a pattern around the ariola of her breast, the nipple hardening - straining against the fabric of her brassiere. To top it off, he lowered his mouth and sucked it, leaving a wet pattern of his mouth staining the top of the fabric.

"Damon...please?" she whimpered. They'd barely gotten started and she didn't know how much longer she could take it. Damon had years more practice on her, or even Stefan, when it came to lovemaking. He chuckled, knowing he could continue on like this all night. But drawing it out too long wasn't his goal. For every time he touched her, he wanted nothing but the same for himself. He brought her hand up to his chest and placed her palm flat on his skin.

"Touch me."

The two words came softly from his mouth, but carried the weight of the look in his eyes. Elena could tell then that he wanted her as much as she did him. She slowly worked around the taut muscles of his body, trailing a line of fire with her fingertips. She teased his nipples, eliciting a low moan from him as she watched his eyes roll back in his head. For once she was sure that he didn't exactly have the upper hand in this, and the thought made her smile.

Elena continued lower, scraping her nails softly across the skin that was just above his hip bone, teasing across the top edge of his boxer briefs as she watched his abdomen contract to her touch. When she finally reached below, cupping him in her hand, her breathing nearly matched his. Elena looked up into his eyes and saw that he was feeling the same, and that neither of them could wait any longer.

"Are you sure?" he asked her, before going any further. With other women he wouldn't have asked - just ripped their clothes off and entered them with one swift move. They wouldn't have known what hit them. But with Elena he was insistent on being a gentleman. His brother had already had her, but he would make sure if this was going to happen, that it would be something to remember, to cherish. Not even Damon was completely sure of Elena's decision, yet. If she were to choose anyone other than him, he wanted something to remember her by.

"Yes." One word. Clear, concise. Imperative. To emphasize her point, Elena reached around the edge of his boxer briefs and began to peel them off of his pale skin. When rid of that singular piece of clothing, she cupped him bare in her palm, and he took her lips with his - kissing her like he might lose her. "Yes." She returned that kiss, and then some as he deftly removed her undergarments before she could even blink.

He reached below, feeling between her thighs and finding that she was ready for him. He brought his fingers up to her lips, swiping her slickness across their surface before kissing it away again. Slower than she thought possible, he lowered her to the mattress and positioned himself above her. "Last chance Elena," he smirked. He was giving her a way out, letting her make the choice.

"Damon...." But she didn't finish that thought. He slid into her, pushing his way through until the full length of him was inside. The choice was made, and the world around them would never be the same.

* * *

_**Tease scenes 101: Give them just enough to wet the appetite, without getting obscene enough to turn off the average reader. Something I learned early on. Have fun, and I'm looking forward to you guys pushing my button. The little purple one, ding-dongs! Lol... - M.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Stefan stood, growing angrier by the minute. He stood, and forced himself to listen to everything that was going on down the hall. His knuckles grew tighter and whiter as he heard every movement, every thrust. His own fingernails drew blood from the palms of his hands as he fought not to destroy everything within physical reach. They didn't even try to be quiet, the sounds of their lovemaking coming loud and clear as it traveled across the air in the house.

He waited until it was relatively quiet again, fists still tight as he stalked out of the house, leaving the door wide open. There was only one thing that would satisfy him right now, and that was blood. Maybe not the right blood, but blood, nonetheless. Without realizing where he was going, Stefan found himself in the middle of town square. It was quiet, with only a few people milling about at that hour. His sensitive ears picked up a sound in a nearby alleyway. A young woman, one he'd not seen before, was clutching onto her cell phone, crying silently as she listened on the line. Her boyfriend was breaking up with her for another. Feeling an awkward kinship with the woman, he began to walk toward her, his hands finally relaxing as he filled with concern.

"He wasn't worth it," he whispered quietly to her, bringing her attention to him as she flipped the phone closed, ending the conversation. Stefan reached out and smiled as he touched the woman's arm. "Sometimes these things happen, no matter what we try to do to prevent it." He was convincing her and himself at the same time.

"You sound like you speak from experience," the young redhead began. "How could anyone like you have dating problems?" She looked him over, taking in his rugged handsomeness and his honest eyes. She shook her head and extended a hand. "Raeven's the name, heartache's the game."

Stefan chuckled, shaking her hand lightly as he smiled. "Can I buy you a drink?"

Hours later, Raeven Windstone walked back to her car. She remembered having a wonderful night with a beautiful man, but couldn't figure out why she felt so light-headed. As she drove home to her lonely apartment, she smiled, thinking she would schedule an appointment with her physician in the morning.

* * *

As the sun began to warm up the room, Elena stretched her arms and legs as she began to wake. She stopped, looking around quickly to see that she wasn't in her own room. Her room didn't face the north, so she caught less of the sun than this one. It was then that she realized exactly how sore she was, cringing as she brought her arms and legs back to the tucked position of her sleep. "What the hell?"

"Oh really. I thought you'd say it was heaven," came a familiar drawl, right against her back. The cool feeling of his breath tickled her skin as Elena turned and saw Damon watching her wake.

"How long have you been up?" she asked, eyes narrowing. "Long enough," he replied, trailing a finger down her spine to the small of her back. She shivered, closing her eyes for a moment, her tongue flicking out to lick her lower lip as she fought to concentrate. "Damon, what time is it?"

He stopped touching her, smiling as he realized how much he'd gotten under that tough exterior of hers. Enough to shatter her control when she was trying to say something to him. "It is already ten o'clock."

Elena shot up in bed, grabbing at the sheet around her as she scanned the room for her discarded clothing. It was all in a neat pile on top of a chair set against the wall. When did he have time to fold it? she thought. No matter. She stood up, careful not to show any more of her skin than necessary, and grabbed her clothes before bolting for the bathroom across the hall.

Damon rolled his eyes, leaning back against the headboard as he put his hands behind his head, his elbows spread wide. He wore the look of a satisfied male, both in physicality and in the fact that he'd finally gotten what he wanted. Or had he? The sound of a throat clearing noted to his ears that his brother was in attendance, but the shift in the air around him that carried his scent let Damon know when he had started down the hallway. Damon sighed melodramatically, avoiding looking at his brother's self-righteous glance. "What do you want, Stefan?"

The brother in question looked toward the bathroom as he leaned against the door frame, shaking his head. He turned back to look at Damon, his voice calm and collected as he spoke. "How does it feel to use and abuse another one?" His arms crossed, he looked directly at Damon then, his gaze unwavering.

Damon smiled, shaking his head slightly as he tsk-tsked. "Ah, Stefan. I told you, I will make your life miserable for what you did. This is only the icing on the cake." He turned, swinging his legs off the bed as he reached for his boxer-briefs. They were on lightning fast, as he moved to stand before Stefan with equal rapidity. "Don't play the game if you can't handle the pawns, brother." His head inclined as he heard the shower go on, sidling past his brother to head to the bathroom door.

"If you'll excuse me," he said, his smirk back in place as he pushed open the bathroom door and locked it deftly behind him.

Stefan stood watching, his eyes narrowing as he thought of ways to make his brother pay.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Yes, this is a short chapter. I'm tired, so I'm only able to get out the next part that was seeping into my feeble brain. Worry not...there is more coming at you tomorrow, when I'm free of children and able to spend hours by myself on the poooooooooooooter. Have a good night, all.**_

_**- M.**_

_**

* * *

**_

Elena sat down at the bar at the Grill, sliding her palms down in a familiar maneuver across the surface of her jeans. She smiled at Matt, coming out of the kitchen with another set of glasses for the bar. "Hey Matt," she said to be friendly. She hadn't seen a lot of him lately, ever since he'd gotten together with Caroline. Elena decided that if Caroline was ever going to have a fighting chance with Matt, Elena herself would have to become a little scarce.

"Hey Elena, what's up? You meeting Stefan for lunch?"

Elena shook her head, sighing. "No, I'm not. We're not...talking right now."

"Oh," Matt said, looking over Elena's shoulder. "There he is right now. Whoa, nevermind." Elena turned to see what had startled her ex and best friend, seeing the object of the conversation walk in the room. Stefan reached one hand behind him and pulled a petite redhead into the booth with him, nodding to Matt and scowling at Elena before he smiled and turned all his attention and charm on the other woman. If she didn't know any better, Elena would say he was channeling Damon.

"Ah, okay. Well...awkward." Elena looked up and rolled her eyes as she sighed again. "Yeah, tell me about it. I'm here to meet...."

"Me." Before she could finish, Damon slid onto the bar stool right next to her. "How are you today?" he said to her before giving a polite smile and nodding at the blond busboy. "Mutt...ow. That hurt."

Elena drew in a sigh, signaling he was trying her patience. She smiled as Damon rubbed his shoulder where she'd punched him. "Yeah, like that hurts. Come on, Damon." She reached out, pulling on his hand to get him off the stool. He surprised her, pulling her into him as he wrapped his arms around waist and kissed her soundly, making her temporarily breathless. As she caught her breath, Damon chuckled, fully aware they were being watched.

"You want to go somewhere else to eat?" he asked. Elena nodded and caught her breath as he held her hand tightly. The Grill was busy today, and the only way out was to walk right past the booth where Stefan and his date were sitting. "Come on, then. Let's get out of here. It's a little...stuffy, anyway." He led the way, slowing down by the booth. Damon leaned over in his brother's ear for a fraction of a second, making sure to rub it in. "Enjoy the show, little brother?"

The redhead didn't catch the movement - it was that quick. But Elena did. She looked directly into Stefan's eyes, more than surprised at the anger burning within those green orbs. He caught her look, and the anger was replaced with sadness. Just barely, his fingers reached out to touch her arm, but she turned, unable to face him. Elena still loved him. She knew it, he knew it, and even Damon knew it.

If she had turned right then and looked in Damon's eyes right then, she'd have seen his sadness, too.


	13. Chapter 13

Damon brought Elena back to the boarding house. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen to egg his brother on. He just had. Maybe for once he was happy to get the girl. Maybe it was some sort of revenge for all those years ago, when Katherine had chosen to include Stefan in on the secret.

But somehow, it didn't feel that way. Not when he was here, now, linking his fingers with Elena, the complete 180 of what Katherine had been. Well, maybe not completely. They were both headstrong, and independent. As he looked at her walking slightly ahead of him, he thought maybe that was a genetic trait, passed on through the Pierce family. A blessing from the Gilbert family, no matter how much he detested it, was that the young woman in front of him was far more complex than the petty, childish Katherine Pierce had ever been.

As they began to walk up the stairs, the air around them changed, making Damon stop on the second stair and turn around. Stefan was walking out of the den, headed in their direction. He wore something upon his arm - the same redheaded woman that had been with him at the Mystic Grill. Damon's eyes narrowed and he squeezed Elena's hand.

Elena looked down, her face remaining calm and blank. The smile that Stefan wore, standing there with his shirt open and pulled out of the waistband of his pants, was almost smug. Her heart was racing, but she gave nothing more of her emotions away than that.

"Hello Elena," Stefan said. "Let me introduce you. This is Raeven. Raeven, this is my friend, Elena." Raeven stepped forward and nodded, clearly not understanding the situation between the key players in the room. She smiled and offered her hand to Elena, her voice cheery and bright. Her eyes were twinkling like those of a teenager that had been caught doing something she shouldn't by her parents. "Hi Elena. It's nice to meet you. And you must be Damon," she said, offering her hand to him as well. "Sorry about the...."

Damon interrupted. "No problem. We're sorry for interrupting. Stefan..." he said as he nodded to his brother, keeping his facade as calm as he could. Elena decided to speak finally, addressing only Raeven. "It's nice to meet you, too. We'll just be going." Elena turned on her heel and started up the stairs without Damon, trying to take them two at a time.

"Excuse me," he said, leaving his smiling brother behind him as he followed Elena. She was upset, he could tell. But there was really nothing he could do to make it any better, other than offer a friendly ear and maybe some sage advice. Hell, who was he kidding? "Elena..."

"Why, Damon? I didn't mean for any of this to happen, but instead of waiting for a decision, he goes and...and..."

"Whoa...whoa...hold up," he said, holding his palms up. Then he spoke his thought aloud. "I can't believe I'm saying this....Look.... Elena, maybe Stefan thinks you've already made your choice. Or maybe he doesn't care. Or maybe, just maybe, he's so jealous of you and I having anything beyond friendship that he's doing the only thing that brings him any satisfaction at this point - which is getting back at you for the pain you've caused him...by hurting you." Damon blinked a couple of times, realizing that what he'd just said made perfect sense. For once he was the voice of reason, and that didn't happen very often.

Elena leaned back on the bed, curling up into a near-fetal position as she sighed aloud. "Come here." She patted the space in front of her, making it clear that she wanted him to lay down next to her. He complied, brushing back the stray hairs that always seemed to fall in her face. Damon smiled at her, trying to be soothing without saying anything else.

"Damon, what can I do to fix this? I don't want to hurt Stefan."

Damon closed his eyes, then opened them, looking at her so solemnly that she thought he might be channeling his BS from a show or soap opera to talk with her. But he wasn't. For once, Damon Salvatore was thinking clearer about his brother than he ever had before.

"I don't think there is a way you can fix it, Elena. Sometimes, things just take time."


	14. Chapter 14

_**I know, I know. Such short scenes. But tonight's finale kind of put me in a bad mood, and I'm sick on top of that. I'm sure you'll forgive me for the short chappies, but they're what was in my brain as I sat down at the keyboard. Look forward to more this weekend, eh? Thanks you guys. - M. **_

_**P.S. I also update chapter 13 to make it a real chapter for those of you that were greeted only with a note and a link before. Please read that one ahead of chapter 14. Good night, all.  
**_

* * *

"Do you think you could...I don't know...maybe, leave my house, Elena?" She had just entered the den when he came walking up behind her, barefoot and buttoning his shirt. Elena left the bedroom shortly after Damon had gone to town to "get" something. Her brow furrowed as she turned to him, chewing her bottom lip.

"Isn't this Damon's house, too, Stefan?" she asked, crossing her arms before her. The smug smile from earlier had returned, but it didn't suit him. She didn't like this Stefan.

"Actually, no, Elena. It isn't. Damon just takes up space here." He began to walk around her, making sure to pass by her as close as possible without touching her. Elena closed her eyes for the briefest of seconds. She knew what he was trying to do. Make her feel intimidated, guilty. But she already felt the latter, and he didn't have to push the issue to make her feel it.

"Huh. Well, I'll make sure that when he comes back from town, I'll let him know that." She turned to go back upstairs but Stefan blocked her way before she made it out of the room.

"What is it, Elena? Did you do this on purpose? Maybe all I was to you was a means to an end? Maybe you're not so different from your predecessor after all. She always did know how to manipulate people to get whatever she wanted. You led me on and you used me and now you're using Damon, too."

Her hand came up automatically, so reminiscent of when she'd slapped Damon in the past. But this time, Stefan caught it, never letting her palm touch his face. "I don't think so, Elena. As long as you're with Damon, you'll never touch me again."

Elena's chest heaved as he walked off with a flash. She took a minute to catch her breath - angry with Stefan for acting so much like a child - angry with herself for giving into his behavior and letting him provoke her. It was there she stood when Damon walked into the house.

"Did I...miss something?" His eyebrows tweaked as he took in Elena, flushed and standing in the doorway, staring at the fire. The confusion on his face turned pensive as he looked up to the stairs. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Elena turned, giving him a half smile. "Not really." She reached out and took his hand. "Let's get out of here." Elena passed the stairwell without a second glance, leaving Damon to wonder what the hell had happened between Stefan and Elena while he was gone.


	15. Chapter 15

**_A few of you have mentioned how you think that Stefan's acting like a "dick". My response in general to this is thus: How would you feel if the woman you loved, who purported to love you - and that basically saved you from yourself - admitted that she loved another, who just happened to be your brother? We all already know that Stefan is more of a tortured soul on the outside than Damon, but that's only because Damon has been better at hiding it. Everything in life has its purpose and its time. And now that I'm done waxing poetic, have fun reading the chapter. Please review at the end. Thanks! - M._**

**_Oh yes, before I forget. This is the song that I was listening to when I thought of this chapter. It's an older one, but one that moves me still. Waiting for the Night, by Depeche Mode. It's mellow and haunting in its own way, and a really good one to listen to when you're having trouble falling asleep. Take a gander at the lyrics below. Yes, they're tiny, but that's how it copy and pasted and I really don't feel like typing it up all over again. Just zoom in on it. Toodles! - M._**

**_

* * *

_**

I'm waiting for the night to fall  
I know that it will save us all  
When everything's dark  
Keeps us from the stark reality

I'm waiting for the night to fall  
When everything is bearable  
And there in the still  
All that you feel is tranquillity

There is a star in the sky  
Guiding my way with its light  
And in the glow of the moon  
Know my deliverance will come soon

I'm waiting for the night to fall  
I know that it will save us all  
When everything's dark  
Keeps us from the stark reality

I'm waiting for the night to fall  
When everything is bearable  
And there in the still  
All that you feel is tranquillity

There is a sound in the calm  
Someone is coming to harm  
I press my hands to my ears  
It's easier here just to forget fear

And when I squinted  
The world seemed rose-tinted  
And angels appeared to descend  
To my surprise  
With half-closed eyes  
Things looked even better  
Than when they were open

Been waiting for the night to fall  
I knew that it would save us all  
Now everything's dark  
Keeps us from the stark reality

Been waiting for the night to fall  
Now everything is bearable  
And here in the still  
All that you feel is tranquility

* * *

Several days passed. Elena made a point to avoid going to the Salvatore house, partly for Stefan's request, and partly for her own sanity. She hadn't meant to fall in love with two men at the same time. Heck, if you had asked her a year ago, she'd have told you it wasn't possible to be in love with two people at once. But she'd learned a lot since the brothers had returned to Mystic Falls, and her lessons were only beginning.

Daylight had been less than a friend for her lately. Its stark reality made her think too much, so she preferred to stay indoors, behind tightly closed curtains, and venture out in the night time. It was around 7 p.m. on a Wednesday evening that she found herself startled awake. She listened closely to the air around her, even before opening her eyes. Someone was in the room with her - or some thing. Slowly she reached over to turn on her bedside lamp, squinting into the lightening darkness.

"Hello Elena." The voice she heard was her own, and yet...not. She shot up into a sitting position, completely on edge now. Her mirror image sat across from her, flipping through the diary that she'd hidden behind her picture frame. "So busy you've been, my little friend. It's...interesting to...see you. But perhaps that's not the right thing to say. I see you in the mirror every day." Katherine began to laugh, a lilting, tinkling sound that made you take notice. There was a cruel edge to her laughter, like she was the queen of the joke. "Enjoying playing with my boys?" she asked of Elena directly.

"I don't play with anyone, Katherine. Not like you have," Elena countered, her dislike clear in her words. Before she could blink, Katherine was in front of her on the bed.

"Don't fool yourself, Elena Gilbert. How interesting that you look like me, and yet carry the name of the family I despise the most." Katherine reached out and did something interesting. She did the same thing that Damon had done, time and time again. She stroked a piece of Elena's hair, putting it carefully behind the human's ear.

Elena controlled herself beautifully, fighting the shudder of disgust that threatened to move her. She kept her brown eyes carefully on Katherine's every movement, knowing that if she said the wrong thing, it was over. There would be no coming back for her. It had been too long since she'd had Damon or Stefan's blood in her system. "What do you want, Katherine?" she said lowly and calmly.

Katherine smiled, leaning away from Elena a bit. Here they were, the subject at hand. "I want what you have, Elena. And you're going to give it up, freely and willingly. And if you don't...." Katherine made a cutting motion across her throat with an accompanying sound that let Elena know exactly what was in store for her. "You see, I don't want you as a vampire. I don't even want your blood. You either do what I ask, and I'll leave you alone, or I kill you. No coming back. I don't want the competition."

"This isn't a competition," Elena said, a little too quickly. She watched carefully, fully expecting Katherine to strike. But the other woman moved silently and slowly to the doorway.

"But it is, little one. All I have to do is go down the hallway, and I'll start taking pawns away from you, Elena. Think of it as a high stakes game of chess. Only on this board, I control all the pieces."

Elena nodded. "Leave Jeremy and Jenna out of this. They didn't do anything to you."

"They didn't have to, Elena. They're Gilberts. Now, here's what you're going to do...."


	16. Chapter 16

"What do you mean, Elena is gone?" Stefan stood there in disbelief, not wanting to hear the words come from his brother's mouth again, but needing to hear it anyway.

Damon sighed, sitting down on the edge of the couch. He affected a nonchalant facade like he had for decades, not showing how much it really hurt him on the inside. His hand moved to the pocket of his black jeans as he pulled out a blackberry - something he'd gotten since Elena had come into his life - and showed Stefan the message he'd received.

_Damon;_

_ By the time you get this message, I'll be gone. Don't come to look for me - I need some time to process everything that's happened. I think we moved way too fast for my comfort zone, and though I do love you, I still need that time. Tell Stefan that I love him, too, as always, and I hope to come to a decision one day._

_Elena._

"When did you get this message?" Stefan asked hurriedly. Damon's eyebrows drew together as he looked at his brother like he was an idiot. If there was one thing in this afterlife that he hated to do, it was repeat himself.

"I told you, brother.... I got it at six o'clock, which was..." he paused to look at the current time, then looked at Stefan again. "...four hours ago." It was now ten at night, well past sundown. He knew something was coming, another ball that hadn't dropped yet.

"But that's not possible," Stefan began. "I was with Elena an hour ago." He chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking about the past few hours events. Damon's eyes narrowed as he looked from side to side before he responded.

"What do you mean....?" he said, then the lightbulb went off. The brothers responded in unison, their eyes locking. "Katherine." Damon headed for the door faster than the eye could track him, but came to a dead stop there. He turned, ever so slowly, his eyes narrowing. "Wait a second. What do you mean you were with her an hour ago? What were you doing with...who you thought was Elena...an hour ago?"

"It's not important Damon, we have to find Elena." Stefan started past him, but Damon grabbed the front of Stefan's shirt, swinging him against the heavy door so hard that it cracked. "Let go of me, Damon. It's not important. It...it wasn't her. How could I not see that it wasn't her? How could I not feel....?"

"So you slept with her. Great." More of a statement of fact, he could see the untold answer in his brother's remorseful eyes. The fact that Stefan thought he had slept with Elena wasn't what bothered Damon. It was that it actually...hurt...to think about it. Damon shook his head to get the visual out of his mind. It was something that he didn't want to think about; that he didn't need to think about. It would cloud his judgment, and his mind, making it more difficult to clearly take hold of the task at hand. "This isn't over, Stefan. When we find Elena...."

Stefan nodded his head, his lips in a tight line. "I think we should find Katherine, first. She was in the house, Damon. She was in Elena's house. That means she's right there with Jeremy, and with Jenna, and with any other human that comes in contact with them. No matter where Elena's gone, she would want us to take care of them first."

Damon pursed his lips before nodding in return. "Agreed." Words dispensed, he moved his brother and opened the door, and two vampire brothers sped off into the night.


	17. Chapter 17

Two weeks had passed, and Elena found herself halfway around the world. She was in a small village in the middle of Central America, taking full advantage of the low prices and Spanish lessons she'd had in high school. She nodded to the old woman behind the counter as she was handed her cafe and pan dulce. "Gracias," she said, thanking the woman as she turned and looked for a place to sit.

She decided to sit down upon a curb overlooking the cobblestone streets of the down. At about five feet up, she had plenty of clearance to hang her legs over and watch the townsfolk pass by. Elena had been there for three days, total, and was still amazed at the number of people who showed up in the marketplace daily to sell their wares. She'd taken the third bite of her breakfast when a woman and her two children stopped dead in front of her and stared.

The matriarch crossed herself and spoke. "Ay, Dios Mio." She took another close look at Elena then hustled her children along. This had happened a couple of times since she'd arrived in the town, but Elena just shrugged it off, continuing to eat her breakfast. She tossed her trash into one of the few receptacles that could be found and began to peruse the wares in the center of the market.

A young man, barely twenty she guessed, put his arm on her elbow and stopped her to speak. "Senorita Katherine. You cannot be here," he said in broken English. Elena's eyes widened, then narrowed as she nodded at him. Fine. They thought she was Katherine. If the Fates were going to play this game, then she would follow along. She missed her family, and missed Damon and Stefan, and could only hope that Katherine kept to her side of the bargain. It was like making a deal with the devil, but what more could she have done? The young man looked about hurriedly and spoke again in a hushed tone. "Come with me, si?"

Elena nodded. "Si, vamos." She followed him to an alleyway that took them far away from the center of the market. She looked at him skeptically as he climbed in the driver's side of a truck that was at least thirty years old and most definitely a roadway safety hazard. He began to gesture emphatically and she sighed, climbing into the passenger side. The door made a loud bang as she slammed it shut, saying a silent prayer as she realized the dash was metal, too, and there were no seatbelts.

After a bumpy ride down a heavily rutted road, they pulled into a grove of trees, following a long road through a bit of farmland. There were no other houses within her line of sight and she questioned if she should have come with the young man. She didn't say a word as she followed him into the entrance way of a grand house, something that she hadn't expected to encounter in such a poor town. It wasn't modern, in the least, but well-built, with heavy tile floors and thick adobe walls. There were even thick glass windows that shifted to let the cool evening air in.

Barely five steps in she heard a woman fire off several curses in rapid succession in her native tongue. Aside from some slang that she didn't quite get, Elena understood the basics. The woman was angry that the young man had brought Elena to the house. What had he been thinking? Didn't he know the consequences of bringing a vampire to the house? Apparently they'd never thought to see Katherine again. Against her better judgment, Elena walked into the foyer and introduced herself.

A few hours later, the woman and her son were sitting at the table in the kitchen, sharing a cup of coffee with Elena. Elena had finally convinced them, after much arguing, that she was not Katherine Pierce. That she was not, nor had she ever been, a vampire, and that she was really a human being that was somehow related by blood to that creature of the night. She'd had to remove every bit of her jewelry and ingest what she recognized as a sprig of vervain, which was bitter and nearly made her vomit, before they fully believed her.

"My mother...she say, how is it that you are here?" The young man said. He was still in awe of Elena, staring at her as he spoke as if she was an angel or something. Elena smiled and shook her head. "Believe it or not, Katherine sent me in this direction." She took another long sip of the hot liquid, which was also laced with vervain - she didn't blame his mother for being skeptical - before continuing. "If you think about it, what better way to get rid of a rival than to send her somewhere that she would be eliminated?"

The young man nodded, and his mother spoke to him lowly in Spanish. "Mother says...she says that you are welcome to spend the night. This was Miss Katherine's home, long ago. My mother...she was a...como se dice? Ah, yes...a maid, for Miss Katherine many, many years ago. She will take care of you, now."

Elena held up a hand and nodded in understanding. "No, it's all right. You won't have to take care of me. But I really..." She sighed, trying to hold back the tears. "I really have nowhere to go right now. There are many things that I must think about, and...resolve, before I can ever think of going home again." The boy's mother came around the table and enveloped Elena in a tight hug, patting her hair. "Todo va estar bien, chiquita. Todo bien...." Elena knew, for the moment, that she would be safe. She had time to think, which she hoped, for her family's sake, Katherine was taking advantage of, too."


	18. Chapter 18

Two weeks had passed and Damon felt like screaming in frustration every single day of it. Katherine rarely left the Gilbert household, even having the audacity to wave at him from Elena's window as she was talking with Jeremy. She got far too close to the teenager one evening when she gave him a hug. He watched as she sniffed near the boy's jugular and Damon felt his body go taut, ready to do damage if necessary.

"Any change?" Stefan's voice came from his right as once again, Damon found himself standing guard. "No," he replied, his knuckles white. "I'm sick and tired of playing this game, Stefan. When do we move?"

Stefan looked up into Elena's window. There the bitch went again, smiling and waving at them from the window as she gave Elena's aunt Jenna a nice, warm hug. The only one that was on alert was Saltzman, who Katherine glared at every time he crossed the threshold. He wished he knew what kind of game Katherine was playing. Was it revenge she was after? If so, why hadn't she moved in on the family yet? No, she was waiting for something.....

"Not yet, Damon. You and I both know there's more to this than meets the eye. Go feed." He stepped slightly ahead of his older brother, standing beneath the old oak tree to the corner of the Gilbert lot. Damon shook his head, muttering as he left - knowing full well his brother could hear him. "And that's another thing, Stefan. When the hell does she feed?"

He took a deep breath and took off, feeling the air whisk past him as he made for the woods near Wickery Bridge. But there was no thrill of the hunt here. It didn't hold the same allure as it had in the past, and he prayed he could find some gullible hunter or camper to feed on. The idea of eating from the local wildlife held no interest for him. As he ran, his mind wondered to Elena....the real one. She wasn't dead. He knew that. He didn't know how he knew it - only that he could feel it in his very being. There was a connection between them that even death might not be able to transcend.

The world was full of magic. He and Stefan were proof of that. Bonnie was proof of it. Even that idiot Tyler Smallwood had something going on with him, even if Damon didn't know what it was yet. Part of that magic had crossed into his life via Elena Gilbert. He thought about her smile, her laugh. The way her skin felt as she slid against him, begging to be held. He realized how distracted he was by it as he whipped past a group of tents as he neared the bridge. "We've got to find her...soon."

Damon turned and headed back for the tents, looking for his dinner.

* * *

Night began to fall. In the two weeks they'd been keeping watch on the Gilbert house, Stefan hadn't seen one sign of Katherine leaving. Though somehow she'd managed to fool Aunt Jenna that she'd been living a normal life. It was easy, considering that school was out and she didn't exactly have to work. If it weren't for Saltzman, the Salvatore brothers wouldn't even know that Jenna and Jeremy were fine - unturned and unfed upon. Katherine had seen to that the second night she was there.

He remembered the night clearly. Damon had gone to the door first, knocking and smiling politely when Jeremy had let him in. The boy and he had a sort of understanding where it came to his sister. But the minute Katherine walked into the living room to talk to him, all hell had broken loose. It ended with Damon being thrown out the front door by Saltzman, who was only doing what Jenna requested of him. They were glad the history teacher had run interference. The last thing they needed was the police to be involved. Katherine would either have them for a meal, or twist them around her little finger.

"Your turn," Damon had said, crossing his arms and glaring at the Gilbert house. Indeed, Stefan had his turn. He hadn't made it past the front porch. This time, Katherine met him before he ever knocked.

"Leave, Stefan, and never come back. Unless, that is, you wish to join me," she said coyly. Katherine twisted a strand of her curls around her finger, looking at Stefan seductively. It was something that marked another difference in the two women. Katherine's hair was naturally curled, where Elena's was straighter. "No thank you," he'd replied. "If you harm one hair on this family's head...."

Katherine smiled and laughed aloud. "By the time you got to the front door, Stefan, there would be nothing you could do about it. Goodbye." She turned and slammed the door shut behind her, her tinkling laughter coming through the wood loud and clear.

As he stood watching for the fifteenth straight night, Stefan hoped that Bonnie would get his letter and come soon. It was the only way he could think of getting rid of the wolf behind the mask..


	19. Chapter 19

"Oh yes, they're doing exactly what I want them to do. Any sign of her?" Katherine spoke smoothly into the cell phone that Elena had left behind on her way out of town. She fiddled with her hair, watching Elena's brother walk in the front door. "Hey," she said over her shoulder to him before he walked up the stairs. Katherine shrugged, turning her attention back to the phone, and the vampire on the other line that had yet to answer her. She was losing her patience. "I said, any sign of the girl?"

"No, Katherine. She's not where she we left her. Two weeks of her in the marketplace, at the hotel you arranged. Now? Nothing. It's like she vanished out of thin air."

Katherine sighed. She closed her eyes and grit her teeth loud enough that any vampire could have heard her within a ten mile radius. A human being? Never. She listened to the silence on the other end of the line. The only way she knew there was anyone there was because of the dull hum of the telephone connection. Vampires didn't need to breathe, so no need to hear anything else.

"Find her. Now." It took everything within her to not shut the phone with enough force to crack the led screen. She cracked her neck, hearing it pop in the silence of the house. She was tired of the cat and mouse routine. It had grown old over the years. As she passed the front window, she nodded to Damon, standing watch across the street. It was becoming a bore. Katherine walked into the kitchen, ready for a snack.

* * *

"Any change?" Stefan said into the speaker of the cell phone. Damon held it away from his ear. His brother had never learned that silence is golden. He peered into the window of the Gilbert house, saw Katherine nod at him and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"No, Stefan. Nothing's changed. We know she's not compelling Jeremy or Jenna, and no strange...people...have come nor gone. Just Jeremy, Jenna, and Saltzman. So how is she getting past us to get blood?" He chewed on his bottom lip, thinking harder than normal. It was giving him a headache. "Any lucky with the witchy woman?"

"She's on her way. Be here Tuesday. Hopefully then, we'll get some answers," his brother replied. Damon was getting more irritated by the moment. "Don't worry, Damon. We'll find her."

"Oh, I'm not worried, Stefan. Besides, shouldn't you be the one worrying? After all, you're the one that...." But Damon didn't get to finish as Stefan cut him off.

"DON'T mention it again. Please. I don't want to think about it." A few moments passed, Damon thinking his brother had hung up. Just as he was ready to give up, Stefan spoke again. "And when all this is over, we'll do what we discussed. No more waiting."

"Agreed," Damon chuckled into the receiver. "Hurry up. I'm getting hungry, and you're late. Ah, Saltzman just got here. Looks like he's staying for dinner. See you in five." He clicked the receiver shut, not caring if Stefan had wanted to speak again. Alaric turned just before entering the Gilbert house, making a small wave from behind his back. Damon felt a microscopic amount better that the history teacher had arrived to keep an eye on things.

"And now I just sit, and wait. I hate to wait," he said, to no one in particular.

* * *

Stefan walked up to his brother, ready to take over a shift. He wore his typical brooding scowl, obviously thinking heavily on some subject or other. Damon watched as his mouth fought to form words several times over, then stopped. He rolled his eyes at his brother.

"Oh, would you just spit it out already? You look like some constipated teen on Gilmour Girls!" Damon didn't care that the entire neighborhood, especially any vampires hanging around, had heard him. He really disliked it when Stefan got like this.

Tilting his head to one side, Stefan looked closely at the house. "Damon, how long has Alaric been in there?"

"Five minutes, why? Maybe ten...I really didn't stare at my watch, Stefan. What's the point?"

Stefan's eyes narrowed as he checked for movement in each of the windows. The kitchen was the back of the house. The only other room facing the backyard completely. "And Jenna hasn't come home yet?"

Damon sighed, already becoming exasperated. He rolled his eyes and looked at Stefan when something in his brain clicked and all the pieces fell into place. "Saltzman! She's been feeding on Saltzman! Stupid martyr."

Before either of them could say another word, Damon led the charge to the back of the house. The back door was open and they both flew in. Katherine was waiting for them, smiling as she licked from her lips the last drops of the blood she'd been siphoning from Alaric's veins. She kissed him and looked at Damon and Stefan directly. "Well, I suppose he's served his purpose." She turned and snapped Saltzman's neck, letting his limp body fall to the ground. "Who should I take care of next?"

Stefan and Damon knew that they would be able to hold their own, if they worked together against Katherine. The commotion would give Jeremy enough time to get out of the house, though explaining to him why they were trying to kill his older sister might pose a bit of a problem. Damon looked at Saltzman's body on the floor. _Good_, he thought, _he still wore his ring._ Turning slightly to look at his brother while still keeping an eye on Katherine, Damon shrugged. "Why not?" Stefan nodded, and they both readied themselves against Katherine's onslaught.


	20. Chapter 20

"Okay, I think I've got it. There are known vampires tracking me. But only two of them can move in the daylight? Correct?" Elena ran a hand through her unruly hair. The humidity in the countryside had gotten to it. That, combined with limited hair products and non-chlorinated water and her hair had taken on a more wavy attitude in recent weeks. "So..." she continued, moving her index finger across some areas marked on a map of the country. "if we lure them here and here during the day, create a diversion.... I might be able to get out of here without being tracked for at least twelve hours."

The young man she'd met in the market had introduced her to his friend Carlos. Carlos was a known Coyote - a smuggler of illegal things, mostly human beings. He knew secret routes in and around and underneath the closest town, as well as most secret tunnels that would get her back home. He was a sturdy man, about 5'9" and 180 pounds - all of it muscle. His skin was the color of deep caramel, but his eyes were the brightest and most startling shade of blue she'd seen since she'd met Damon. "Yes, senorita Elena. I will be able to get you away from this...this...what is the word? Bad dream? Ah...nightmare."

Elena smiled. Carlos had known Katherine, and had told Elena shortly after meeting her that not only did her name translate well in Spanish, but that she was a princess compared to her doppleganger. Elena could hold her own, when need be, but she didn't know if she'd ever be as ruthless as she'd need to be.

Her mind of late had been more than preoccupied with trying to figure out how to get out of this jungle without getting caught. This was not a bad thing, seeing as any time it hadn't been all she thought of was her family and friends back home. But she could feel in her bones that they were all right - for now. Damon and Stefan were sure to see to that.

Damon and Stefan. Never in a million years did she think she would even be close to in the same boat as Katherine. But just as her vampire counterpart had not been able to, Elena could not decide between the two. Though she was sure her reasons were a world apart from Katherine's. Katherine had been selfish, petty, all about fulfilling her own desires. Elena loved each of the brothers, for their own reasons.

"Senorita, Carlos...he asked if you were ready?" the young man from the market asked her. Elena blinked several times, trying to clear her head of heavy thoughts.

"I'm sorry, ready for what?" She looked at the two men in confusion. "Ready to go," Carlos replied, looking at her seriously. "You need to go to sleep, and I will be by at first light. It is then we must move."

Elena nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yes, yes....I'm ready. Goodnight everyone, and thank you." She stood, receiving hugs from the house staff as if they were afraid she would never return. And as long as Katherine was alive, she would not. Her heart was a little heavy as she walked into her temporary bedroom, removing her shoes to place next to the bureau where she'd stored her tiny amount of clothing. She looked around the room - the deep burgundy tile on the floor, the pale pastel green wall paint that covered the barely finished concrete walls. She'd only been there a few days, but her new-found friends had moved quickly to help her, and she was grateful for it.

As she slid between the starched cotton sheets, she fell to sleep, and didn't dream.

* * *

Katherine smiled, shaking her head. "Oh, no, boys. None of that. I'm proud of you, though...finally working together toward a common goal. Toodles!" She took off in a flash, bolting out the way they'd come in. Stefan was still in a crouch as Damon reached down to help a now wakening Alaric up.

"Care to explain what just happened, Saltzman?" The disdain was evident in the tone of Damon's voice as Alaric dusted himself off. "You use vervain...so why was she able to feed on you and not be affected?"

A sheepish look pass over Alaric's features as he ran a hand through his hair before his face became sober again. "I keep vervain on me at all times, but I don't drink it."

"You have got to be kidding me. Well now you start," Damon said, making a move to look through the Gilbert cabinets for the stash of vervain he knew Elena kept there. Stefan beat him to it.

"You are too important to not drink it, Mr. Saltzman," Stefan said. "You're one of the only things keeping this family safe.

"But I was keeping this family safe!" Alaric near yelled. "Who do you think she would have fed on if I hadn't offered up a vein? Jenna? Jeremy? Look, I know that you don't like me that much, but I do what I can."

"Fine. Fine...whatever. But you do realize what's wrong now, don't you?" Damon's voice remained calm, but the look he gave both of the other men in the room let them know just how irritated he was. "Now instead of just being in this house, that bitch is out there, in the town, where she'll kill instead of just popping a cork of Alaric every time she's jonesing for blood. This is my town, and she just can't go around doing that!" he spat out as he began to walk out the kitchen door after her.

* * *

_**Having fun, are we? I'm glad that you guys are liking where this story is going. Worry not, for Elena and the boys will soon be reunited. Take care, and I look forward to your reviews. They keep my mind a-churnin'! - M.**_


	21. Chapter 21

"Dammit, we can't keep doing this all night!" Damon threw his hands up in the air. The bodies were piling up, but they were getting closer. This one was still alive. He was beginning to think that maybe he shouldn't have called Katherine out when Isobel threatened Elena to begin with. He licked a few stray drops of blood off his fingers he'd gotten from checking the victim's throat for a pulse. It was faint, but steady. Probably just in shock, he thought for a moment before really focusing on the taste of it. He felt Stefan rather than heard him come up from behind. His scent was thick on the air. "We're only a little behind this time. I can taste her on him."

Stefan nodded, but kept his distance. The last thing he needed was the smell of the human's blood to attract his attention. "How long?" he asked his brother, keeping his attention on Damon's face as he listened to the area around them. It was quiet. Too quiet. Even the crickets in the area had ceased chirping. Damon's eyes narrowed as he looked toward the town square. What he saw there surprised him.

"She's still here."

* * *

Daylight had shot over the horizon. In this country, the minute the sun made its appearance was the minute the temperature rose twenty degrees. Elena kept her hair down as instructed, hiding her face from the few passersby she and the Coyote encountered. Her situation was a little ironic, if she thought about it too much. Here she was, in a group of seven Central Americans who were about to try to enter the country illegally within the week. Elena Gilbert, illegal alien. A small smile crossed her lips as she pulled her cap down tighter against the harsh rays of the sun.

She was thirsty, and for the first time in her life had barely an inkling of what Damon and Stefan must feel when they needed to feed. The skin of her throat was parched, dry, almost raw with soreness. Carlos, the Coyote, had forbidden their drinking of water during the day unless he specifically told them to. There were few places in the wilderness to fill up their canteens, and as long as they weren't passing out from dehydration, they would keep going...keep moving.

The sweat began to pour by midday. Elena kept having to wipe it from her eyes, itching to reach around her and wipe it from the small of her back where her spine furrowed it before it seeped into the surface of her jeans. What she wanted most was a nice, long bath. But that wouldn't happen for a long time. Not unless it rained - and today was day one of their journey. They had at least five more to go. Elena never prayed for rain so hard in her life.

Several hours later, then sun began to wane in the west. The temperature dropped rapidly in the middle of the desert at night. They stopped at a little town at the edge of the next border. One country down, several more to go. Her feet ached, her body stank, and she knew that before they began again, she was going to have to put on another layer of clothing from her backpack, or she would get hypothermia and die before sunrise. The prospect did not exactly appeal to her.

Then again..... No, I won't think that! Elena closed her eyes for a few moments, thinking of the Salvatore brothers. She really should have been more worried about her Aunt Jenna and her brother Jeremy, but each time a feeling of longing came to her, it corresponded to one of them. She knew deep within that something must be going on, for the closer her little group marched to the Mexican border, the stronger each wave of emotion would hit her. She wasn't sure why.

You know why...her mind nagged her. It could have been from the blood that she'd ingested from Stefan, trying to save his live. But she couldn't be for sure. Many of her feelings came from Damon. They had a certain flavor to them. That was the only way she could think to describe it. Stefan had one flavor, and Damon another. Almost opposite ends of the spectrum.

Her thoughts were interrupted, thankfully, by Carlos. His shadow shaded her as he stood before her, providing her with a little bit of coolness. "Senorita, here. I thought you might like some." He held out a cup to her and she instantly recognized its scent. It was a bit of the cinnamon based coffee that she'd gotten back at the ranch. It made her smile to know that he wasn't just treating her as another piece of cargo.

"Thank you, Carlos. How are we doing?" she asked before she took a long sip of the bitter substance. The taste took some getting used to, but Carlos had put a tiny bit of sugar into it, just to accomodate her, she suspected.

"Not horrible," he replied, his deep voice echoing through the quiet. "How are you doing, senorita Elena? Do you think you'll make it?"

Elena chuckled at his concern. "Yes, I will be fine," she said, looking off into the distance. "As long as we keep moving, I'll be fine." She finished the last swig of coffee and returned the cup to Carlos. "If you'll excuse me," she said, standing up to find a spot to relieve herself. In the middle of nowhere, there weren't many choices.

"Senorita?" Carlos began. Elena turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised. "Please hurry. The darkness is coming."

* * *

_**Twenty thousand people have read this fanfic. Less than a hundred reviews. Hmm.... - M.**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**Who is the light, who is the dark? And which should you be afraid of? Please read and review. - M.**_

* * *

The duo stood, ten paces apart. Neither of them moved, but stood there, watching each other. To a casual bystander, they would have appeared as a couple of friends, oblivious to others around them. But this duo while the same in appearance, was different in make up. One genetically similar, yet forever altered. The other was the same, and had awoken something terrible and beautiful, all in the wake of death and destruction.

From the outskirts of the town's square, two brothers stood, watching the scene before them. The two in the center both knew of the brothers presence. Neither moved as Damon and Stefan carefully, excruciatingly slowly moved forward.

"Bonnie, be careful..." Stefan began. His words were cut off when Bonnie raised her hand to silence him.

"I've got this." Bonnie stood her ground; back straight, head held high. She was stronger now, fuller. The magic of her brethren filled her with a light that threatened to chase away all the darkness. But in the end, there must always be balance.

Katherine in contrast stood slightly crouched, like a panther ready to strike. Her eyes narrowed, though they had yet to change to the red veininess that appeared right before she struck. "Ah...so this is the witch. I knew your great-grandmother. Now she...she was a great and terrible thing to behold."

Bonnie's eyes widened then narrowed as she brushed off Katherine's attempt to unnerve her. "Don't speak about my great-grandmother. You haven't earned the right."

Laughter that tinkled like the crazy ring of an angel's bells echoed through the night. Katherine's head leaned back as her laughter pealed over the heads of those watching her like a hawk. As she lowered it, her voice lowered to a deadly tone. "Don't tell me what right I have or have not. Without me, little girl, you would never have been born."

Bonnie shrugged, unfazed by Katherine's words. "Without you the natural order of things would have occurred. You're an...an aberration." Her hands clenched and unclenched a few times, her fingers beginning to tingle with the magic itching to get out. She knew that once it left her, focused upon something else, she would feel a calm peace overtake her. But she needed to wait. Answers needed to be given.

Damon watched the two like a hawk. The whole time he and Stefan continued to move forward, inch by agonizing inch. He knew Elena, and that Elena would want Bonnie protected, at all costs. He turned and looked at his brother, trying to signal with his eyes that they needed to get to Katherine, and fast. The only way they could take her down was together - in a coordinated effort. But Stefan wasn't looking at him; wasn't paying attention. Damon rolled his eyes and sighed audibly. Finally it got Stefan's attention, but his younger brother shook his head with the tiniest movement.

Stefan knew what Bonnie was up to. With a single thought, she could cripple Katherine. He wanted to know where Elena was. Why did Katherine kidnap her? Where was she taken? What was she doing in Mystic Falls to begin with? So many things ran through his mind at the same moment that he barely noticed the slight movement Katherine made in Bonnie's direction. "Bonnie, look out!"

But Bonnie noticed. She focused her eyes on her foe before her. So much the mirror image of her best friend. So different than Elena ever would be. Without uttering a word, Katherine fell prey to that gaze, grabbing her head as she felt the agony begin. Her keening wail threatened to shatter the eardrums of those around her, but Bonnie kept it going, just a moment longer... She released Katherine, watching the ancient vampire gasp in surprise on the ground below.

"That's only a taste of what I can do to you, Katherine Pierce. Now listen up..."

Katherine's head rose, but she remained defiant, her chin jutting out like a petulant child's after they've just been disciplined. "I owe you nothing, you..." Again the pain came, cutting off her words as she fought to maintain control of herself and her mind. It felt like her brain was going to explode out of her skull, gray matter scattering in all directions. As the pain subsided again, Katherine took a deep breath that she didn't need, and nodded.

"Good," Bonnie began. "Now you know what I mean. I want to know a few things. Where is my best friend?"

"Away," came the smart-assed response. Katherine wasn't willing to give any ground, a small smile lifting the corners of her lips. She gritted her teeth with the next wave of pain, but kept her arms to her sides. She could do this all night.

"Katherine, please. Just tell us where Elena is," Stefan pleaded. His forehead furrowed in frustration as he begged her for the information.

Smiling again, Katherine's head tilted to one side as she eyed one of her favorite sons and lovers. "Ah, my dear, dear Stefan. Ever fighting your nature. Give in to it, Stefan. Give in, and I'll tell you where she is." Her voice dripped like honey from her lips, coaxing, teasing. Damon rolled his eyes once again and punched his younger brother hard in the jaw.

"Shut it, Katherine. Been there...done that. Try again. Where the hell is Elena?" He stood, crossing his arms as he affected boredom.

"I don't know," she replied, the first honest thing out of her mouth. "I DON'T KNOW!" she repeated as another wave of pain hit her. Damon sighed again. It was going to be a long night.


	23. Chapter 23

It was the fifth day. For nearly a week, Elena had been traveling through the jungle, and through the countryside, trying to get back to those that she loved. She'd had plenty of time to think about that, and about them, while the miles made her body weary, and the sun taxed her mind. But none of that mattered right now. She was boarding a simple farmer's cart - the kind made of pieces of wood hammered together and stacked until it was six feet high in all directions. It sat upon two axles, and would soon be filled with tomatoes.

"Good luck, senorita. If you make it through, call the number I gave you. He will help you find your way home." She looked at Carlos' tired face, and smiled an equally exhausted smile. Then she backed up and stood as close to the middle of the cart with the others as she watched the lock close the back of the cart. "Fill her up!" came the farmer's voice, and a load of ripe roma tomatoes began to fall from dual chutes on opposite sides.

Elena realized just how tightly they would be fitting inside of the tomatoes, and just how hard it was going to be to breathe with them packed inside. She struggled to calm the panic that was quickly rising to the surface, the irony of her recent weight loss smacking it back down. "Well, I may have on loose jeans, but I'll be able to breathe," she chuckled lowly. The others in the cart told her to be quiet in Spanish, and the smile disappeared from her lips.

It was a thirty minute ride from there to the border. Every second of it was agonizing as she tried to stay on her feet. One of the other women, weak and unable to stand, fainted behind her. Two of the men pulled her up and sandwiched her between them. They needed to remain undetected. Elena reminded herself to bend and flex her knees ever so slightly to keep from passing out. The cart stopped suddenly a few minutes later and she heard the driver get out. What little Spanish she understood told her that they were going to inspect the cart. The driver argued that if they opened the cart, all of his precious tomatoes would spill out, and that he had a family at home that was desperate for the money the American would give him over the border for a complete crop.

One of the border patrol laughed. He said in perfectly plain English that they had another way of searching the cart. Elena clamped her teeth down tightly as she saw a machete enter between the tomatoes, its sharp blade slicing cleanly through the plump, red flesh. She nearly gasped as another came from the other side, passing behind her and piercing the left flank of one of the men holding up the weak woman. But he did not fall. All of their lives, and their freedom, depended on it. Her gaze was immediately drawn to her left, where another machete came, but only sliced through the front of her jeans about mid thigh. Though it stung, it was only a scratch compared to the wound of the man behind her. She watched her own dark, red blood mingle with the juices from the tomatoes, and prayed that it would be enough.

The border guards shouted something to someone ahead. Afraid that they'd been caught, Elena closed her eyes and breathed deeply. But the cart began to move. They'd made it. Soon, she would be free.

* * *

Nearly a day later, after three bus changes, Elena found herself in the Atlanta hub of the Greyhound bus station. She'd been told to make it there, but to avoid taking the express route straight to Virginia. The lines were being watched from here on out. After two hours, she began to think that she'd been forgotten.

But just as soon as she sat down to eat a burger from the local cafe, she knew she was being watched. Elena sighed, opting to ignore it for as long as she could. She was tired, she was hungry, and frankly, if someone was going to kill her at this point, then they needed to get it over with, already.

As she took her third bite of burger, savoring the juicy and utterly unhealthy quality of it, a young woman sat down opposite her. Elena had chosen a booth that was out of the way to stay unnoticed, but it might have been her undoing. "Those things will kill you, you know," the young woman said. Elena finished chewing her bite, and looked up to see a bright green eyed, red haired girl who couldn't have been more than twenty five. Paying a little more attention, Elena saw the ring on her visitor's finger, marking her as one of the daywalkers.

"A lot of things can kill me," she replied, taking another small bite. Elena felt her pulse quicken, but she chewed it patiently, following it with a swig of soda. When her mouth was clear, she looked at the girl. "This burger is the least of my worries."

That brought a hearty chuckle out of the girl, who extended a hand in greeting. "Hi, I'm Reean. Nice to make your acquaintance." Her handshake was firm, and Elena didn't get the sense she was going to meet her own end anytime soon. "Tomas sent me, in case you're wondering."

Elena nodded. Tomas was the name of the contact that Carlos told her would make sure she got to Virginia. "But...where is Tomas?" she asked, wondering why he hadn't come to meet her. By the look on Reean's face, Elena figured he wasn't going to make it. "Oh...um, I'm sorry?"

"Happens to the best, and the worst, of us. Not your problem. He got...um...pinned down, if you know what I mean. I'm what you would call the contingency plan. Tomas left me Carlos' instructions should anything happen to him. Dammit, here I go again. Do you mind?" She reached for one of Elena's napkins, and began to dot at the tears falling from the corners of her cheeks.

"Not at all," Elena replied. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"Don't worry about it. He was kind of shitty for a boyfriend. All that machismo and stuff. Even after he turned, it never did leave him. But...I loved him. Sometimes we just can't help it." Reean finished dabbing, then tossed the napkin into the bin behind her. Elena knew that Reean was right. Sometimes who you loved just couldn't be helped. She grabbed her bag and put a piece of gum in her mouth, offering a piece to the vampire across from her, who gladly accepted it. "Yeah, even though technically we don't have breath anymore, it's still nice to have a fresh mouth, you know what I mean? Are you ready to go?"

Elena nodded again. She was as ready as she would ever be. Reean tossed the plate and cup into the bin behind her again in a blur of movement. "She shoots! She scores!" came the redhead's light voice. "Okay, come on. Let's get out of this place." Elena stood, wondering where exactly she was headed this time. The thought came to her that she didn't really care, so long as she made it home.


	24. Chapter 24

Damon was beginning to get bored. Through a heavy dose of threatening Katherine, they'd managed to get her back to the house, with no side casualties to worry about. He rolled his eyes in response to another round of Stefan's droning voice, asking the same questions he had managed to repeat for the past two days. "You're not getting anywhere with this, you know," he said with a tinge of sarcasm.

"Well what would you suggest?" Stefan nearly roared, turning around to look at his brother. Damon had been less than helpful, leaving him and Bonnie alone with Katherine in the house for hours at a time. He always came back with the excuse of scanning the perimeter, but Stefan didn't believe it. His brother had never been that selfless. "You haven't bothered to ask her a thing since we brought her back here. You just stand there, and watch, every time I go to eat, or drink, or check outside. I come back and you're still there!"

"All part of the plan," Damon replied. He never lost his cool, not now. He was waiting. Katherine would eventually break. She hadn't eaten in two days. Taking in the amount that she'd gorged before Bonnie had shown up, he figured another day or two and she would be ravenous enough to tell them anything. As it was, he'd been noticing the little things. How she'd twitch after Stefan turned his back, and how her eyes narrowed as she silently planned her revenge. Whatever she'd come here for, she wasn't going to get it. Not if he could help it.

Katherine turned and smiled at Damon. She was beginning to suffer from not feeding, having been an avid drinker of the red stuff. Damn her boys for not feeding her, and damned the little witch who made sure she stayed in place. But everyone faltered, at least...everyone human. Sooner than later the little witch would lose her hold, and Stefan would have his head turned, and Damon wouldn't be there to catch her.

"Don't even think about it," came Bonnie's voice from the chair in the corner. Bonnie had been practicing. She could feel when the vampire's moods changed. She had begun to recognize when they were up to something. This one was worse; worse than Damon had ever been. "You're not going anywhere, anytime soon. Not until you tell me where my friend is."

"That's not going to happen, little witch. You're going to die. Just like your grandmother before you. Everyone has their breaking point." Katherine smiled, licking her lips. "And I'm going to enjoy drinking your blood. I bet you taste good. Almost as good as my boys do."

Stefan turned, anger clouding his features and his judgment. He rounded in a blur of movement and shoved a stake deep into Katherine's abdomen. She doubled over in pain, gripping the stake as Stefan held it into place. Damon stood against the doorframe, shaking his head. "Now that wasn't necessary, little brother. You really should work on your anger issues."

He left his brother and the witch, intent on walking the perimeter again. If he knew anything for sure, it was that Katherine never went anywhere alone. Someone would come, and when they did, Damon didn't plan on getting caught unawares again. He slowly closed the door, then began to move in a blur around the perimeter of the grounds attached to the house. He traveled the woods, past the stream, all the way to the western corner and back again.

As he returned to the long drive that led to the house, Damon picked up on something. It was a scent, a vampire and something...familiar. "Elena," he whispered, taking off to the front of the house. The door was open, and Elena stood there in the doorway, staring at his brother and the doppleganger that tried to eliminate her. "Elena," he said a little louder. She turned to him, the look of pain in her eyes pulling at him. He slowly walked over to her, opening his arms and welcoming her home.

"Damon," she whispered, before collapsing into his embrace as once again, her world went dark.

_**I am almost finished with this bad boy. A couple more chappies and we'll wrap it all up. Take care of yourselves, have a good week, and I'll update before the end of the week. Work-work-work is all I have to do! - M.**_


	25. Chapter 25

Buzzing. She kept hearing that damned buzzing and would soon find the culprit, hell bent on smashing the annoying thing. Elena groaned as she whacked her own head, still not all there enough to realize the buzzing was coming from her own head.

_Elena... Elena..._

She heard voices, but wasn't quite ready to open her eyes. "Go away," she said forcefully. Her head ached and she just wanted to sleep some more. But Damon wasn't having it. He sat next to her, watching her closely. He knew she was awake, and knew she must wake fully in order to deal with what was at hand.

"Elena!"

"What?" she groaned, holding one hand to her forehead. Then it all came back to her in a rush as she opened her eyes. They darted around the room until she realized she was alone with him, reaching out to him and holding on for dear life. "Damon!" Her head hurt even as she said it. She was dehydrated, she knew, and maybe that was what had made her pass out. Maybe that was better compared to the brief glimpse she'd gotten of what Stefan had been doing to Katherine.

"Here, drink some water." Damon carefully let go of her as he reached behind him and produced a glass of clear, cool liquid. Ever so gently he held the back of her head as she drank thankfully from the glass. When she'd had her fill, Elena nodded and managed to bring herself to a sitting up position. She still felt a little woozy, but there were things they needed to deal with. They weren't going to be dealt with if she stayed in bed all day.

"Damon...what's been going on here?" Elena's eyes searched his, looking for some clue. She didn't find any. Damon was closed off, not willing to share secrets at the moment. But after a few moments of utter silence, he sighed and looked out the window as he began to speak.

"Katherine took your place, for a time." He spoke slowly and quietly, with barely any volume. "Don't worry, Elena. Aunt Jenna and Jeremy are fine. Alaric makes quite the martyr where your family is concerned." He chuckled bitterly, shaking his head. "Long story short, Bonnie cornered Katherine, who apparently came alone this time. No backup. No friends. Which concerns me a bit. There's always someone with her...watching...waiting. Something about all of this is not right."

Damon turned to look at her, his brow furrowed...echoing her own. Elena knew he was right. Katherine rarely traveled alone, and always had someone to do her dirty work. But a brief glimmer of hope crossed her face. Maybe for once she'd not been planning on being bested. "Wait...how did you capture her, anyway?"

"Bonnie," he said. A slight smile touched the corners of Damon's mouth. "Bonnie turned out to be quite the gem. She pulled that little headachey thing on Katherine, immobilizing her so Stefan and I could bring her here. But it still doesn't add up. It's like she's waiting for something." Damon's own head was beginning to hurt. He'd been racking his brain for hours, trying to get it all into place.

"Well, then, time to find out," Elena said as she began to slide off the bed. She steadied herself against Damon's arm, smiling at him. Her free hand went up to touch him on the cheek as she looked in his eyes. "We'll figure it out, Damon. We always do." She gave him a quick peck and pulled him with her out the door into the hallway, ready to find out just what Katherine was up to this time.

* * *

_**Short, I know, but I finally graduated from college, and owed you guys something for the long wait. I've got a few more tricks up my sleeve before all is said and done. Luffles to you all, and I'll see you laterz!**_


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